


looking for the truth

by little_bean



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Espionage, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, the land of mountain streams
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 13:36:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15607416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_bean/pseuds/little_bean
Summary: There's trouble brewing abroad. Kakashi and Sakura are sent to uncover the secrets of a neighboring Land. While on their mission, Kakashi has life-altering realizations as secrets that could change the course of the shinobi world are discovered.





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> This is my first Naruto fic. Warning: I have not seen part 2, but this is the world of immense spoilers and I did ample research to make my story make sense (at least I hope it does). Please enjoy!
> 
> (title from False Alarm by the Head and the Heart)

_Kakashi didn’t know what day everything changed. Maybe it was all at once, but he missed it. Perhaps it was gradual, a slow change, overtaking him bit by bit before he noticed his attitude had shifted. No matter that strategy, it still made the Lifeblood Assault the worst war he had experienced in this shinobi career. Not in terms of casualties, but emotional impact and destruction._

_It was a devastating battle. It tore families apart, partners fought against each other without a second thought. Friends as old as they could remember were ripped apart._

_And no one could stop themselves._

_Here’s how it all started._

* * *

 “Kakashi-sensei,” his old student greeted him as he walked into the Hokage’s office. Naruto relaxed his feet on the desk covered in stacks of papers, files, and other village business. He obviously did not care that the Hokage could—and would—walk in at any moment, resulting in a bad flick of the head and a bruise that would last for a few days.

“As I always insist, it’s just Kakashi now, Naruto,” he said. “Everyone in our old team should just call me Kakashi.”

Naruto smiled at him. “You’ll always be Kakashi-sensei to me, no matter what.” He tapped his chin. “Although I’m not sure how Sasuke-kun or Sakura-chan feel about this.”

Of course he didn’t, the oblivious fool. Sasuke never really acknowledged Kakashi as a suitable teacher since he arrived late to their first team meeting. And Sakura was hard to crack—still continued to be. By the time she fully accepted her position as head medic, Kakashi eventually convinced her to drop the formalities once in a while, considering Tsunade had taken over as her sensei many years ago. But being her stubborn self, she still tacked on the annoying title. Kakashi didn’t exactly know why, but it had started to bother him more and more recently.

“You’re to go on a mission with me?” Kakashi asked instead. No reason to divulge that information.

Sitting up in his chair, Naruto gave him an excited look, blue eyes wide. “That would be so fun! I hope so. But I don’t actually know, I haven’t been given any details on why I’m here either.”

Kakashi felt her before she entered the room. Without a need to hide her chakra, the Hokage let her energy exude wherever she went, enticing both fear and apprehension in her wake. Kakashi himself stood straighter in anticipation, but Naruto, still not being aware, played with an empty bottle of sake on the desk. How he could miss the powerful presence of Tsunade mystified Kakashi.

He sensed Genma and Raidō set up position by the front door, and the Hokage burst in. She was clearly aggravated on top of her constant sleep deprivation. Mid-sentence, Tsunade didn’t even notice Naruto at her desk as she continued talking to Shizune.

“And then make sure that Shikamaru doesn’t overthink that one—he’s a smart ninja, but even the best chest players overshoot when they believe their opponents to be of equal competence.” Kakashi held his breath as he watched Tsunade pull back her chair, causing Naruto to fumble with his lost footing, and then promptly sit on the young shinobi.

Her train of thought completely halted, her eyes bulging from their sockets. Naruto sent a panicked looked at Kakashi who maintained a neutral composure, while Shizune just rolled her eyes. Tsunade braced her hands on her desk, painted nails scratching the wood.

“Please tell me you aren’t sitting in the most powerful person in this village’s chair, Naruto,” she said in a low voice.

There was a moment of silence.

“No,” Naruto finally said.

Closing her eyes, Tsunade said, “When I get up, I better be able to feel the cushion under my ass in under a second.” Without warning she stood, and Naruto seized the opportunity to escape and rushed to stand at attention next to Kakashi. Sighing contentedly, Tsunade relaxed into her seat. Then she tensed up again. She stared right at Naruto.

“Also tell me you didn’t mess with the settings on the chair, Naruto,” danger dragged from her voice.

Kakashi practically heard Naruto shrink. “No,” he squeaks out. _Oh no,_ Kakashi thought in his head.

Quick as lighting, Tsunade grabbed an empty sake bottle and chucked it at Naruto’s head. “Fool! It took me months to find the perfect combination for maximum relaxation! Get out! No more mission for you!” Naruto managed to dodge the flying drink, but the office wall didn’t stand a chance. It slid through the wall like butter, crashing into the hallway. Genma and Raidō sent a startled glance back into the room through the sake-shaped hole.

Shaking in his orange jumpsuit, Naruto said, “Grandma! That’s not fair!”

Kakashi resisted the urge to shake his head. _He never learns, even after so many lessons._

If looks could kill, Naruto would be dead ten times now. “Get. Out.” Tsunade growled, even more irritated after his use of her nickname she always insisted he never utter.

“But Grandma—“

“That’s it! Errand duty, until an undefined time,” Tsunade announced. Then she leapt over the desk, and tossed Naruto from the office through the sake hole. Of course, Naruto, being a little bit larger than a bottle of alcohol, made the extent of the damaged wall increase. Genma groaned from the other side of the hole.

Taking a deep breath, Tsunade calmed herself. After she returned to her desk, she pulled out a new bottle of sake. As she poured herself a generous cup, Shizune muttered. “I’m sure I checked everywhere…”

Tsunade enjoyed her alcohol, taking a big gulp and sighing contentedly as she settled into her chair despite the altered settings. It seems she’d forgotten all about summoning Kakashi, and he waited about another four minutes before he began to talk.

“Godaime—“

“So Kakashi,” Tsunade said over him. “Now we are in a bit of a predicament.”

“We are?” He asked, keeping his bláse attitude.

Twisting her in chair, Tsunade looked out her window overlooking the village. “Indeed. There’s been word of unrest coming from the Land of Mountain Streams in regards to our trading with them. Whispers of a new type of chemical warfare being developed in their lands have reached us, and I need a pair of our soldiers to investigate.”

 _Such a small Land requiring two strong shinobi. Something must really be up,_ Kakashi thought. “Sounds like that was an issue before Naruto was,” Kakashi said instead.

“It was,” Tsunade agreed. “But it’s a mission that required two people who know each other very well.”

“May I ask why?”

“You’ll learn once you’re closer to your destination, that’s not important for the time being.” She waves her hand in the air. “So, you’re obviously a good candidate with your ninken, therefore I needed someone that hopefully understood you and your behavior. But now Naruto has irritated me, and I don’t know what to do.” She directed a frown outside.

“What about Gai?” Kakashi suggested. If he had to admit it to himself, Kakashi would say there was no one else who knew him quite like Gai did. Even with his repetitive and often mind-boggling rivalry challenges, Gai had proven himself to be the closest friend of Kakashi’s that had managed to keep themselves alive.

Tsunade shook her head. “This mission requires the delicate use of ninjutsu. Besides, I need Gai for something else.”

Tilting his head to the side, Kakashi asked, “So you thought your next best option was Naruto?”

Laughing, Tsunade grabs her stomach. “Goodness, no,” she says. “I thought of Genma here, and even Anko first, but that didn’t add up to a successful mission. And before you say anything, I did the calculations of a mission with Naruto. You can’t deny the numbers: even with his mishaps, Naruto gets jobs done. And he worked with you for a long time. So he was pretty much perfect. So who else would know you as well as Naruto?” She gazed outside, scanning the village. “He was a former student of yours. You don’t have many, if any, others of those. Sasuke is out of the village doing Kami knows what, and…” Her eyes fell on the village hospital. “Sakura… Sakura?” She repeats. Spinning, she excitedly poured her chakra out at Kakashi. “Sakura! I forgot about her!”

Something dark churned in Kakashi’s stomach. “You forgot about your own student?”

“No, of course not,” Tsunade insisted. “I forgot she was a student under you, since she is, and has been, mine for so long. You used to teach her. She knows you almost as good as Might Gai does. She’ll go with you. Perfect. Crisis averted.”

“Sakura? Come with me on this mission?” Kakashi practically repeated her orders, for some reason dazed. Not that he and Sakura have had any falling out, but the shinobi had found himself avoiding his former pupil more and more as of late. She didn’t need him pestering her, she was too busy, he didn’t deserve to bother her...

Kakashi is knocked out from his slight confusing with a hand wave from Tsunade. “Well, who else is there? Besides, Sakura is getting antsy in the surgical room. She loves it there, but she also loves being out in the field. This will get her off my back. Here are the mission details, please share them with her when you’re closer to the village.” A manila folder is shoved across the desk.

Kakashi accepted the mission, of course, like the good soldier he was. He’s had years, decades, to separate his emotions and personal feelings from his job. He didn’t fully understand his hesitance or presentiment about this particular assignment, but that didn’t mean compartmentalizing wouldn’t be possible.

With a nod, Kakashi was excused from the Hokage’s presence. He could get through a little mission with Sakura. He’d been through a lot with her: exams, wars, injuries. So what if they weren’t as close as they used to be. It wasn’t a big deal.

He could do this.

It’ll be quick, he told himself. He would get the job done, and he’ll put the pink-haired kunoichi out of his mind.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Sakura start their journey to the Land of Mountain Streams.

“So when are you going to explain the mission to me?” Sakura asked, aggravated. She walked next to Kakashi, arms crossed, body tight. Her backpack was at least twice her body weight, but she gave no indication of its drag. She kept up with Kakashi with ease, and even had breath to spare for complaining. Not in the Yamanaka girl’s sense of complaining. Sakura’s complaints were all directed at Kakashi, and all perfectly valid. Case in point: her previous question. 

Flipping to the next page of his Itcha Itcha, Kakashi hummed. “When you need to know.” 

Her cheeks turn a slight red. “I think I need to know _now._ I should have known a while ago, considering this is an A-ranked mission. You always preached the importance of teamwork—how can we be a team if I don’t know the whole picture? I need to be prepared. Also, Shizune told me I would be briefed by you on the way over. For the last two days, that has proven to be false. All you’ve done is read Itcha Itcha and eat.”

Kakashi held back the urge to laugh. It was pure fun to see the small ninja get so worked up and go on her little monologue. In all honesty, that might have been the reason he did not disclose the details of the mission, if he didn’t have a sealed envelope with the final details. If he did tell her, that would have been the end of it, and they would have nothing else to talk about. Or perhaps he didn’t trust himself with other topics of conversation. Gai told him constantly that he needed to work on his social skills, and so Kakashi did that by simply making the other person talk enough for the two of them. And they had a week before they arrived at their destination. It wasn’t even the correct time to tell her about the mission.

“I quite enjoy those two things.” Kakashi’s eyes crinkled at the sides. “So if you don’t mind, I’ll resume the latter of the pair.”

And so they travelled in silence once more, Sakura trudging alongside Kakashi as he sensed out with his chakra as a guide in order to remain fixed in his book. It was just getting interesting, and he couldn’t spare a cell in his eye on anything else. He was eternally grateful to have two normal eyes once again, so he didn’t need to spend chakra subduing the sharingan, as well as energy in fixing his skewed depth perception.

Fingers were slipping below the protection of clothes, Kakashi’s heart started racing—

And a blur of ink flashed before his eyes, and before he could process what had happened, Sakura tucked his precious orange book in her flak jacket front pocket.

Sputtering, Kakashi froze in place. He was completely caught off guard, completely lost without his story. “Wha-what? Give that back!”

“Nope,” she said, popping the ‘p.’

“Sakura, I swear, if you don’t give that back—”

“If you want it, just take it back yourself,” she stated, puffing out her chest towards Kakashi. The book peeked open slightly from the pocket’s cover, exposed from its confines near her breast. His hand instinctively reached for the treasure, but skill made him pause. He could never touch her near there; it was too intimate, he hadn’t earned the right. He wasn’t even a good friend of hers anymore, much less a partner. When was the last time they had really even  _talked_? Probably not for months. Sakura obviously knew he wouldn’t cross that personal boundary. Since when did she get so bold, anyways?

From the triumphant look of Sakura’s face, she saw the acceptance in Kakashi’s eyes of losing his book. He hoped she didn’t notice the red blush that made its way passed his mask. 

“It was giving you an excuse to ignore me,” she explained. “Now you _have_ to talk to me.” 

“I can entertain myself perfectly well with just my own mind,” Kakashi rebutted. Drowning out Sakura’s objection with his thoughts, Kakashi dove into his head. Without his erotica, there was nothing to really take his mind off of the ninja next to him, flailing in attempt after attempt to reconnect, to rekindle their old friendship. And here he was, again, distancing himself.

Topic after topic skirted this thoughts, and Kakashi analyzed each one for its worth. Which would earn the gift of his brain power?

Of course, the practical thing to do would have been to go over jutsu that might be necessary once they reached their destination. Without his Sharingan, Kakashi had to rely purely on his memory of the copied jutsu, or he would forget them forever. Each of the hundreds of jutsu he had copied he now needed to recall hand signs for.

He could think about the events leading up to the climax in his novel, but that just made his hands itch for the book itself, and that was a dangerous path to take. 

But as usual, leaving Kakashi’s mind to wander lead him to Rin and Obito.

Therefore he simply recited the alphabet. The path of life which he was accustomed on getting lost on was not within his reach, with the distraction of Sakura beside him. She kept trying to poke at him, get a response, engage him. It was like she reverted to her twelve-year-old self when Team 7 was still together, when she was just a genin. He knew this wasn’t her anymore; he was a respectable woman, with an inspiring job as a shinobi.

And eventually, she gave up.

Arms folded, mouth in a slight pouted shape, Sakura looked to the ground in dismay. Silence stretched out, and all Kakashi could do was watch her with sadness as she wrapped her arms around her thin figure, making herself smaller.

“What did I do wrong?” She whispered to herself. Kakashi slowed down, and Sakura walked by him, not noticing his change of pace. He reached out after her, but with her head down, she didn’t see.

_What does she think happened?_

* * *

The next leg of the journey was solemn, but professional.

With Kakashi still leading the way as the senior ninja, Sakura went around conducting perimeter checks and awarenesses. Her reports were always short and succinct, perfectly describing what she saw. Usually there is nothing of note. Once, Sakura noticed a pack of bandits following them. They threw them off their trail quickly. 

Then one day, two ninja tried to launch a surprise attack on her when she sped ahead of Kakashi for a quick survey. She heard them from a mile away, dodging their shuriken and attacks with ease. But they were quick too, and massive in size. Sakura could only focus on one as the other decided to go for Kakashi.

With her comrade now in danger, Sakura summoned more chakra and delivered a decimating blow to her opponent, leaving him in the dust as she ran after the other rouge ninja.

She arrived to see the two men in a standoff, the fight becoming a verbal one. They threw insults at each other like men do, puffing out their feathers in an attempt to establish dominance.

From far away, Sakura threw a kunai. It struck the rogue ninja right in a pressure point in his back. He scrunched up, let out a frail squeal, and fell at Sakura’s feet.

Kakashi, still in his stance with hand signs at the ready, felt his mouth open as Sakura walked forward with her hands at her hips. She kicked the ninja over, scanning his injuries. Not much, so she just induced a coma to last for the next few hours.

Brushing off dust from her shoulder, she looked to Kakashi. “Shall we continue?” So quick, so efficient, and so nonchalant. She’d been like that for a while now, but _when_ had she become like that, Kakashi wondered. He wasn’t brave enough to ask the question out loud. 

Now, a few minutes after sundown, Sakura sharpened her weapons as Kakashi crouched in front of the fire preparing dinner. No words had been spoken since their little attack, and the silence was getting to him. He was used to her being joyful and talkative, to a slightly above normal degree. Before she had been overcompensating—for what, Kakashi still could not understand—but this completely 180 flip threw him off. He wanted the old Sakura back, the one that would greet him with a soft smile when he delivered items from the Hokage, the one that would _tsk_ when he came in with another blow to the face from an off-put suitor. That was so long ago; maybe she'd changed since then. It's not like Kakashi would have noticed, being so busy as of late, and Sakura diving deeper into her studies. And then Sasuke left once again after the war, and their paths diverged along with their team member... was there a way to reconnect with his former student?

Although he had to admit it to himself, he was never that open with her to begin with. Besides, he didn’t know how to explain how he felt. Kakashi kept his feelings bottled up, as all Hatake do. And he knew this, since he was the only Hatake.

Instead, as they were drawing ever closer to their destination, and Kakashi thought it was best to tell her about the mission now. 

“We’re going to see if the Land of Mountain Streams is really planning an attack on our village,” Kakashi told her over the crackle of a campfire.

He expected her to look up, to meet his eyes, but Sakura just stared at the flames. The light illuminates her face partially, casting an ominous shadow over her features. 

“I know that already. What I don’t know is where or how we plan to infiltrate this Land.” 

“Oh.” Kakashi scratched his chin. “Well, I haven’t thought about that at all.”

“ _What?_ ” Sakura straightened on her log.

 Arms in the air in surrender, Kakashi explained. “Tsunade gave me some details, but the rest are in this letter, explaining why we were paired up.” He pulled out a letter from his pocket. “Since I didn’t know all of the details of the mission, I didn’t want to waste time thinking about to something that might be meaningless.”

Putting her kunai to the side, Sakura slid off her log to sit next to Kakashi. “I swear, Shishou is so extra. Can we open it now?”

With another shrug, Kakashi said, “I guess we’re close enough now. Here,” he passed it to Sakura.

She stared at him, agast. “Really? Shouldn’t you be the one to open it, Kakashi-sensei?”

Kakashi cringed over his cooking, rotating the rations over the fire. “No. Sakura, we’re _equals_ now, equals on this mission.” Her using the formality stung him.

“But you were my—”

“I told you,” he interrupted her. “That was long ago, before the Fourth Shinobi World War. Please.” He fixed all his attention onto her. “Just call me Kakashi.”

Hand hovering over the envelope, Sakura matched Kakashi’s intense stare. What she was thinking, Kakashi wished he could know.

“Are you sure?” She asked finally.

Cocking his head to the side, Kakashi responded, “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” He was genuinely asking; he wanted to know why she was resisting this transition so strongly, even more so now than before.

But Sakura looked down to the envelope, and ripped it open. “Let’s see what Lady Tsunade said,” she dodged the question in true Kakashi fashion. _She would make a good Hatake,_ he snidely thought. 

“All right…” Sakura trailed off, reading first piece of paper. “What? No. That can’t be correct.”

“What? Is something wrong?” Kakashi asked.

“Read it yourself,” she shoved the instructions to him, then set off away from the fire, pacing. 

 _In the main town of the Land, there’s a festival going on celebrating new life and young love. You two are to pose a newly engaged couple as you gain information and snoop around._ Kakashi flipped the piece of paper over. _And yes, the assignment would have been the same if you had been sent with Naruto. Don’t argue with me, he would have loved it._

“Damn Sage,” Kakashi grumbled as he flipped through the other letters in the envelope. The old ninja knew he would have argued had he known this would be an aspect of the mission. But they’re too far in now to turn around, and he had no choice but to continue.

There was one bright side to this particular assignment. 

“I suppose you’ll really have to get used to just calling me Kakashi,” he joked with a glint in his eyes 

Sakura just rolled her eyes back, not amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a little trouble finding Kakashi's voice, and alignining how he's feeling properly... but I hope I'm doing alright so far.  
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Sakura head into the village, pretending to be engaged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to whoever is reading this! The fun continues :D

Upon arrival at the village, the pair halted just before the gates, suspending themselves in the trees. Summoning his ninken, Kakashi sent off Pakkun to snatch some clothes better suited for a semi-affluent couple on a romantic retreat. A bit insulted at the trivial task, Pakkun only agreed when Sakura begged and scratched him on his head.

“Well, how could I refuse now?” The dog had said. “I always liked this one,” he shot at Kakashi.

He set off on his little shopping spree, money tucked into his jaw.

Due to his small stature, Pakkun had to make a few trips. First, he brought back a nice summer dress for Sakura: white with cherry blossom petals blowing in the wind.

“How fitting,” Kakashi said as Sakura once again rolled her eyes.

For Kakashi, Pakkun purchased (or rather, left coins near the stalls he had taken the clothes from) a smart button down and well-fitting jeans.

Holding up the light blue pants to the sky, Kakashi scrunched up his face. He wasn’t too excited to wear something so constricting. He much preferred the loose ninja outfit that made him feel free and safe. Protected.

“Oh, lighten up,” Sakura told him as she changed on a branch a few levels above him. “At least you’ll have pockets.”

Kakashi had to admit that was nice. Sakura was stuck with strapping weapons and scrolls on her upper legs, or stuffing them down her bra. Not very comfortable.

Regardless, he still grumbled as he stripped off his ninja clothes. Pakkun was shaking with laughter as Kakashi fumbled with the buttons of the shirt.

“Haven’t gotten out much lately, have you?” The dog commented.

With a glare, Kakashi finished the last button. “Why are you still here?”

The dog shrugged. “This is incredibly amusing. And I thought you might want some tips for this mission.”

“Tips? Why would I need advice?”

The dog gave him a knowing look. “Even though you avoided the question, I know you haven’t been out much, much less gone on a date recently. Do you know how to act around a girlfriend? A  _ fiancé _ ?”

Straightening out his collar, Kakashi avoided eye contact. “I think I’ll manage.”

“Maybe with anyone else, but this is Sakura we’re talking about.” Pakkun circled in place three times, then settled down with his paws crossed.

Kakashi paused in his fidgeting. “And what does  _ that _ mean?”

He could see the dog sigh. “Well, I guess if you have to ask that, the point is moot.” He scratched his ear with a rear foot. “Any other things you need me or the crew to take care of? A perimeter check? A sniff-out?”

Although still wondering what Pakkun meant by his last comment, Kakashi let it slide. “I think we’re good for now, but I’ll definitely need the pack later on. Don’t stray too far.”

“We never do,” the dog replied. With a nod, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“Oh no, did I miss saying goodbye?”

“Yes, but he’ll be back, don’t wor—” his mind went blank when he saw Sakura. Her headband was stored in her pack, leaving her short hair to flow unrestrained around her face. Her grace in the wind perfectly mimicked the dress as it bellowed in the soft breeze both in the physical world and the illustration on the material. She looked so small in the dress, so different from the powerful Sakura he had constructed in his mind.

She cocked her head to the side. “Are you alright?”

Kakashi pinched himself. “I’m perfectly fine. Are you ready?”

Shouldering her backpack, Sakura nodded. “But what about?...” she shyly pointed at Kakashi’s face.

He patted himself down. “What? Is there something on my face?”

Somehow Sakura made herself even smaller by crossing one arm around her body to clutch at her opposite limb. “Shouldn’t you take off your mask? I’m not sure if that’s really a common thing around here.”

“Oh.” Kakashi brushed his mask with fingertips. She was probably correct, but he wasn’t ready to strip himself that much in front of the kunoichi. “I think it’ll be fine. Lots of people have loads of odd customs.”

“Okay,” Sakura said. And without further argument, she leapt down. Kakashi followed, meeting her at the base of the tree. She waited patiently, scanning the area around them and contemplating the entrance gate to the village.

“Here, let me take that,” Kakashi extended a hand for Sakura’s backpack.

She’d never looked more offended. Taking a step back, she said, “I’m perfectly capable of carrying it myself. I think I might even be stronger than you!”

“I don’t doubt that,” Kakashi admitted, “but people might think it odd if such a dutiful fiancé wasn’t carrying his partner’s luggage for her.”

Reluctantly, Sakura handed over her backpack. And with that joyous note, they left the solitude of the foliage to approach the main gateway.

Two hired guard stopped them. “Halt! What brings you two here?”

Before Kakashi could answer, Sakura draped herself over him, placing one hand over her chest and lifting one leg in the air. “Why do you think?” She batted her eyes at the guards.

Immediately the guards softened. “Of course, my apologies for my comrade’s rudeness,” the other said, slapping his fellow guard in the chest. “You two must be here for the festival. Welcome, welcome.” The two stepped aside and gestured into the main road of the village.

“Much gratitude,” Sakura said sweetly. Linking arms with Kakashi, she led him past the men and into the town.

“Impressive,” Kakashi mumbled down to her.

“I’m a kunoichi,” Sakura stated. “Charming is in the job description.”

Of course. Kakashi felt chills at the implications in her statement. Ninjas were expected to be used for seduction purposes, female ninjas more than men. Kakashi had had his fair share of such assignments, but thinking Sakura had been through such demeaning and self-deprecating situations made his lip curl in distaste. Kakashi had no worth. But Sakura shouldn’t have had to go through that. Not that any kunoichi should—but something about Sakura made him feel more protective. Maybe he was already taking his role as fiancé too seriously. He needed to take a step back and act more professional.

Kakashi left that dangerous train of thought to take in his surroundings. He was astounded at the scene in front of him: the main street was similar to Konoha’s, with lines of street vendors and different shops. But for the event the people had clearly gone crazy. Drapes of pink and white lights arched through the sky above, crossing over from one street lamp to the next, flashing their colors. Banners hung from every building, proclaiming the event in huge letterings and large hearts. The street itself was lined with flowers of many kinds, including roses petals, daisies, and even peach blossoms.

Solicitors roamed around, selling flowers and chocolates to anyone that would listen. Vendors overflowed with bouquets, trinkets, and food for loved ones. Dozens and dozens of couples swooned over the attention from shopkeepers, dragging significant others from stall to stall. From all the rustle and bustle Kakashi wondered how they would get the information they needed for Tsunade.

Sakura tugged on his arm. “Come on, we should find a place to set up camp.” Once again, Kakashi followed, after slyly removing his arm from Sakura’s. The lack of warmth left him empty, and the space between them was cold. Sakura shot him a surprised look, which turned to of sadness and slight rejection. But she covered it up quickly and took the lead down the path.

“Ahh, what a lovely lady! Would you like a necklace? Lovely necklace for a lovely lady!”

“It’s such a hot day, how about a nice refreshing smoothie! Peach and cherry to match that beautiful hair of yours!”

“Take a break and sit down, Madam! Let me sketch you and your lover!”

Sakura was the target of nonstop street car peddlers. They zoomed in on her summer dress and immediately recognized her as a tourist. Every time she indulged them, but after a moment she would always turn them down.

Hands raised in a small surrender, she apologized. “Sorry, but we’re not interested right now!” And Kakashi would follow her once more as she continued down the road.  

After the eleventh shopkeeper took interest in her, Kakashi stepped forward. “Please leave my fiancé alone, we’ve had a long journey and really must find a place to rest. Have a good day.” He placed a hand on the small of Sakura’s back, leading her away from the leering stare of the salesman.

“There’s no reason to be rude,” Sakura muttered under her breath.

Exacerbated, he shot back, “There’s also no reason to stop at literally  _ every  _ little shop.”

She tugged herself away from his body. “We just arrived, we need to get a feel for who is here and what’s going on! Ever heard of reconnaissance?” Shamefully Kakashi looked away, knowing she was right. It was just not the way he would have gone about it. “Besides, we also need to keep up appearances. No one will guess if we’re snooping if that’s just what we’re like.”

Sakura said that as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but Kakashi hadn’t even begun to think of that. He was just planning on settling down in a hotel room and sending out his dogs at night, and then following up on any suspicious activity. Spying in broad daylight  _ was _ a tactic, just one he barely employed. He was still thinking as if he were alone on this mission.

Crossing his arms, Kakashi tapped his chin. “You’re quite right. I’m sorry.” He placed his hands in his hips. “Good thing my fiancé is so smart!” He said loudly.

“Sens—Kakashi,” Sakura corrected himself, looking away with a blush. “You don’t to be so obvious.”

“Gotta keep up appearances,” Kakashi referenced Sakura’s line with a shrug, walking away to explore the other shops, pretending to be interested.

Before he reached the cart lined with books, a hand cut of his line of vision. Following the limb upwards, Kakashi saw a young man with a bright smile attached. He was dressed quite smartly in a dark blue suit, and a nice brown bow tie.

“Good evening, sir! Pardon my eavesdropping, but am I right in overhearing that you and your fiancé have only just arrived at our wonderful town?”

In a split second, Kakashi memorized the man’s sharp chin, wide nose, and big ears. Height: 5’11. Hair: dark brown. Skin: brown. Eyes: green. He was overconfident, rich, and eager.

“Yes,” Kakashi answered, looking to Sakura as she joined his side. Taking her cue, he slid his arm around her waist, careful not to put a lot of weight on her. “We are so excited to share this wonderful adventure together. And you are?” He still didn’t take the man’s hand.

The man paused, taken aback by Kakashi’s slightly cold demeanor. “Oh, of course! I am the Lord of this village’s son, Futoshi Sato.”

With a nudge from Sakura, Kakashi finally took the man’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sato.”

Sakura extended her hand out as well. “I’m Sakura Haru, and this is Kakashi Hata. Soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Hata, obviously,” she giggled.

Futoshi shook Sakura’s hand as well. “Wonderful, truly wonderful! Our entire village is blessed that you both chose to spend the next few days here. Have you decided on a place to stay?”

The pair shook their heads.

Futoshi beamed. “Then I must insist that I offer you the finest of accommodations our Village has to offer. Right next to the residency our Lord, by the palace, are our best houses. Please allow me to give escort you there.”

Spinning on his heel, Futoshi led them through the tight streets of the village. Sakura and Kakashi let go of each other and stood a respectful distance apart to follow.

“The Lord of this village is also the daimyo, since this land is so small,” Kakashi noted.

“I know,” Sakura whispered back. “This is a good opportunity to get close to the royal family, without being too obvious.”

Before Kakashi could ask her to divulge how she meant to so that, Sakura excitedly pointed to a ramen stand within their eyesight.

“I’m famished!” She announced. “Would you mind pausing a moment so we can eat a bit? We haven’t had a bite to eat in  _ ages _ .”

After one look at the little run-down ramen stand, Futoshi had a look of utmost horror on his face. “Of course, but here? In this place? For  _ ramen _ ? Do you not want me to take you to some of our five-star restaurants?”

“I love ramen,” Sakura insisted. “Please, I would love it if you joined us.”

Kakashi had to hand it to the girl. Futoshi had no way to refuse without insulting his guest now. How Sakura managed to be such a bad  _ shogi _ player and yet be a master at mind games was impressive.

“Alright,” Futoshi relented, joining Sakura who had already sat down at the stall.

“One tonkatsu ramen and one miso ramen,” Sakura ordered as Kakashi sat down on her other side. Kakashi shot her a surprised look, and she smiled. “What type of fiancé would I be if I didn’t know my partner’s ramen order?”

“Quite right,” Futoshi admired the two of them. Sakura was correct, that was Kakashi’s preferred ramen order: good old miso style. And goodness knows they’d had ramen countless times with Naruto. Kakashi was just surprised Sakura took the time to notice that he never strayed off from his one selection at Ichiraku.

Futoshi flagged down the waiter. “One more tonkatsu, please.” He turned to the ninja. “So are you two excited for all the festivities planned?” Futoshi asked, resting his elbow on the counter.

Sakura rested her head on a fist. “We don’t actually know much about what’s been scheduled.”

Futoshi’s eyes lit up. “There’s so much that we have prepared! Tonight, there’s a dance set to music that has been choreographed by yours truly,” he gestured to himself. “Tomorrow is the celebration of the first meeting: partners plan on gathering at a designated location by themselves, to mimic bumping into each other for the first time. Later that night we have a firework show. Then we have a day just full of activities, ranging from pottery, flower gathering, picnicking, petting zoo, boat rides, and more! The next day we rejoice in the inner beauty; participants are expected to wear masks so everyone can focus on the personality quirks that make us love one another. I see you’re already prepared for that one,” Futoshi joked.

“Indeed,” Kakashi squinted his eyes in a smile.

“Wow,” Sakura tapped on the counter. “That’s a lot. How much is this costing the village?”

With a wave in the air, Futoshi did not look concerned. “Oh, this whole shebang won’t even cause a dent into our village’s funds. We have so much nowadays!”

Right then, three heaping bowls of ramen slid in front of them. “Dig in!” The chef told them with a bright smile.

The conversation ended, so Kakashi filed the information for a later discussion. For now, he would enjoy his favorite type of ramen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any feedback is very welcome <3


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura and Kakashi settle into the village for the night.

There was no good transition to return to finances after the meal was complete, so Sakura and Kakashi listened to Futoshi ramble on about the current fashion in the land (Kakashi wanted to impale himself on a kunai) as he led them closer and closer to an inn by the palace as the sun drew closer to the horizon line.

They finally arrived just as night was falling, and after Futoshi spoke a few words with the owner, handed them over the keys.

“Here you go!” He said, dropping them into Kakashi’s palm. “All expenses cared for, room service and amenities included. Don’t be bashful, take advantage of everything! I’m quite partial to the spa myself,” he winked at Sakura.

Kakashi tried to return the keys. “No, no, this is too much,” he insisted.

“I agree,” Sakura said, “We can’t accept this. We insist on paying in full.”

Futoshi backed away, hands up. “I’m afraid all has been taken care of already! I can’t take it back!”

Sakura bit her lip. “Well, how can we ever thank you for such a generous gift?”

“I know!” Futoshi clapped his hands together. “Please, join me and my family for our brunch. Themed, of course, around love. Lots of other aristocrats will be there, as well as my father. He’d be delighted to meet such lovely folk.” 

“We accept,” Kakashi said immediately. Already an audience with the daimyo himself? That was unprecedented.

“Wonderful!” Futoshi bowed. “I bid you goodnight. I look forward to seeing you both there. Arriving at different times, of course!” He laughed as he walked away.

“Of course,” Sakura and Kakashi repeated, waving at the departing figure.

* * *

A nice old woman escorted Kakashi and Sakura to their room, then gave them a quick orientation. Futoshi had not exaggerated when he said this hotel was one of the nicest in the village; Kakashi figured it was even nicer than the Hokage’s quarters. There was a foyer upon entry, as large as Kakashi’s bedroom back in Konoha. It led into the living room which housed two large couches in front of an extravagant coffee table. This connected via open-concept to the kitchen that the owner of the hotel said they wouldn't need to use, as all food would be provided for them.

The bedroom was ginormous—the king-sized bed was front and center in the room, surrounded by paintings of various nature scenes. It was adorned with a red sheet, with rose petals around the foot of the bed.

“And here’s the bathroom,” the lady showed them.

Kakashi’s eyes widened when the door opened.

A huge bathtub greeted him, of which he approximated to be almost three feet deep. Kakashi could just imagine soaking in the water, bubbles enveloping him, as he relaxed and read his Itcha Itcha. It sounded heavenly. But there wasn’t time for that: he needed to rest up, head to that weird brunch tomorrow, and then send Pakkun and co out for some more surveillance.

Once they returned to the front door, the landlady asked them, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, no, we’re perfectly fine!” Sakura answered. With a nod, she closed the door behind the woman’s departing figure. She turned to Kakashi. “Alright, we should set everything up for bed, get some sleep, and go over what we’ve learned in the morning.”

Without a second thought, Kakashi pulled out his bedroll from his pack and set up a makeshift bed for himself on the floor, in the living room area.

“Kakashi, what are you doing?” Sakura asked.

“Making a bed?” Wasn’t it obvious? That’s what she just said to do.

“But there’s enough for two here. It’s literally made for five people,” she gestured to the king-sized bed.

“No, this is fine,” he insisted, removing a pillow from the linen closet.

“But what if someone enters! Room service, cleaning, or otherwise? We need to keep up appearances. There’s even enough space so we won’t have to touch,” Sakura pointed out.

If it had been anyone else—Genma, Anko, even Ino—Kakashi would have relented. They were two shinobi on a mission, and it would make keeping up the facade a lot easier without having to clean up his bed or worrying about intruders as Sakura had implied. But something about being next to Sakura felt wrong, like he was infringing too much on her, he was assuming too much about their personal boundaries.

He thought maybe it was because she used to be his student. It was improper for him to lay in the same bed as his student.

But that reason didn’t seem correct. So without knowing why, Kakashi still insisted on his little bed.

“Fine, be stubborn,” Sakura muttered, turning to put away her belongings. She was clearly trying to hide how insulted she felt, as she probably knew he would have been fine with anyone else.

But Kakashi didn’t have time to feel sorry, they had a mission to complete, one that could change the course of their village if Tsunade’s urgency meant anything. After all this was over, it would be fine. He wouldn’t have to deliberately distance himself; in fact, he could try to rebuild the friendship he’d had with Sakura in the past. Maybe even get closer than before. She was proving to be a nice companion. And he did need more good friends. It would probably do wonders for his mental health.

Finally, quietly, Kakashi heard, “Is it because I’m not good enough?”

“What?” Kakashi turned to see Sakura next to the bed, her back still turned, arms across her stomach.

“I know you think I’m not the best ninja out there,” she admitted. “I’m sorry about that. But for the sake of the mission, we should set side whatever faults you believe I have and still try to maintain the integrity of the assignment.”

With small steps, Kakashi crosses the border from the living room to the bedroom. “Sakura, what’s going on?”

With a turn of her head, Kakashi was struck with intense scorn. Her eyes narrowed as she grimaced. “I read the note, sensei. I know I wasn’t your first pick; I wasn’t even Lady Tsunade’s. I understand how you aren’t pleased to be stuck on this assignment with me. I also know we haven’t talked a while; but your blatant distaste in our pairing is only going to harm our mission.” Her face contorted more and more with each word as she fought against the pain of her emotions.

Hands in the air, Kakashi tried to comprehend what she was saying. “Sakura, what do you mean?”

Bowing her head to hide her face, Sakura withheld a choke. “I know Naruto was preferred for this mission over me. He _is_ a better ninja, everyone knows so. But I just can’t handle how achromatic you’ve been on this journey. We need to work _together_ and actually communicate if we are going to succeed in this village.”

With a furrow of his brow, Kakashi studied the girl in front of him. The past few days with Sakura had been rocking him mentally, sure. But he’d never intentionally tried to hurt her. Slowly, he said, “Sakura, I never meant to make you feel that way. I just… I’m not a big talker. And sometimes that comes off as gruff.” He supposed it had been so long since they’d been in close proximity, Sakura forgot what he was like as her teacher. Or maybe he acted differently when he was in a position of power. Whatever it was, he was surprised she didn’t realize before.

She flipped her head up. “What?”

Scratching the back of his neck, Kakashi let out a small, embarrassed chuckle that did not meet his eyes. “It’s just how I act sometimes... I certainly didn't mean to be rude.”

“Oh.”

Sakura paled when she realized that she had falsely accused him. Although he _had_ been creating a space between them, perhaps it was something he should stop doing as well.

“Wait,” Kakashi narrowed his gaze at his former student when he recalled more of her admission. “What was that you said? You think I’m not pleased to be on this mission with you? You think I would prefer _Naruto_?” That was almost laughable.

Now Sakura’s face turned blotchy with redness. “I didn’t… Just forget I said that, I’ll just go change, and—”

As Sakura fumbled heading towards the bathroom, words flashed across Kakashi’s mind. _What did I do wrong?_ She’d whispered it almost a week ago, when she’d thought he wasn’t paying attention.

The skies cleared, giving him a full view of the darkness inside Sakura.

The result of his abandonment, his disinterest was displayed as plain as day in front of him. A shinobi that showed so much potential, that had achieved so much, still doubted herself because of lingering questions about her self-worth. Doubt that Kakashi himself had implanted when he decided to focus more on the two boys in his team. The guilt of this realization wrapped him up, gorging him to breathe hard. He couldn’t ignore it, not this time.

“I’m sorry, Sakura,” he whispered, cutting of her rambling.

She turned her head, and Kakashi could see one small stream of water falling from her eyes. “You’re sorry?”

Swallowing, Kakashi made his way to Sakura. He sat on the bed, his head down.

“Yes, I’m sorry. It’s my fault you think that way, isn’t it? You think you did something wrong, that I don’t see how brilliant you are?” He said.

Sakura turned fully around. “How… how brilliant?” She repeated, eyes glistening.

He nodded. “You’ve achieved so much, Sakura. You made the Hokage take you on as a student, you equal her in medical jutsu prowess, and you’re one of the strongest shinobi alive. All of this, you’ve achieved despite me. I failed you, Sakura.” Kakashi closed his eyes. “I saw your potential, and still ignored it, as I thought Sasuke and Naruto had more. And now I see that only resulted in you thinking I believed you less. That has never been true.”   

Her body tensed up, fingers gripping tighter on her body. “You saw more potential in the rest of Team Seven?”

Kakashi nodded, unable to meet her infinite gaze. “I did. But I was wrong. Even with the sharingan, I did not see what you had. That even though you were from a civilian family, that you didn’t possess at the time the physical durability a great shinobi required, you still had boundless potential. Without me, you discovered that yourself, and have become one of the best ninjas I know.” Having controlled the pressure behind his eyes, Kakashi finally looked up. “Without me, you prospered. I’m sorry I ever dragged you down.”

He felt the weight of a second body press down the mattress under him, and a hand reach out to open his tightly fisted one.

“Sensei, you never dragged me down,” Sakura insisted. Her bright emerald eyes shone, emitting a sense of urgency from within her soul.

His hand felt like a thousand fires where she touched him, and he removed himself from her hold. “Please, don’t call me that.”

Sakura bowed her head in understanding. “I see. That’s why you never wanted me to use that title.”

Kakashi nodded.

“How about I’ll call you Kakashi, if you listen to what I’m about to say?”

Lifting his hair out of his face, Kakashi looked at Sakura. She stared determinedly at the wall ahead of her. “I didn’t anticipate that speech you just gave,” she said. “But you should know, you never dragged me down. I think in actuality, you ignited a spark within me that made me want to prove myself. Even if you pushed me aside in the beginning, it made me strive for greatness.”

“You would have done that without me,” Kakashi interjected.

With a terrifying glare that might have matched the fifth’s, Kakashi shut up.

“What I’m _trying_ to say is, how about we just forgive each other?” Contorting her body, Sakura jutted out a hand.

Sitting up straight, Kakashi felt strain exit his body like a flock of birds leaving the nest. He extended out a scarred, calloused hand of his own. Just before their fingers brushed, he held up a finger.

“Remember, you swear to only call me “Kakashi” from now on.”

With a roll of her eyes, Sakura agreed, and the deal was sealed with one shake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about this short chapter, but the next one is pretty long ;) get ready!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first day of the festival, Sakura and Kakashi arrive to the Daimyo's brunch as a couple.

After Kakashi had given in to Sakura’s appeal of sharing a bed, Kakashi laid still, fingers crossed on his stomach, staring at the ceiling. Clothed only in his tank top with a mask attached and ninja pants, he was actually pretty comfortable. But he couldn’t sleep at all.

He could have chalked it up to the fact that he was in a foreign land, and he wanted to be hyper aware. Another excuse was that there was a beautiful woman sleeping in the bed next to him, dressed in thin but conservative pajamas. (He only allowed his mind to think that way in the safety of the night, there was no way he would admit anything like this in the daylight, even to himself.)

A more probable cause was the fact that Sakura snored. It wasn’t even that loud, but the slightest noise could trigger a shinobi’s fight or flight response.

But none of those were the true reasons. Kakashi just did not sleep.

In fact, there was no way for him to sleep as he never _fell_ asleep; when he laid to rest, his spirit would tighten, suspending him in a limbo where his body would scream for relaxation but his mind reached out to the beyond, never letting go of reality. Flashes of lightning would ignite in his mind and blood would cover his hands, or ash would slip through his fingers. As a result, Kakashi learned how to get maximum rejuvenation for his fatigued muscles while still being awake. Meditation usually whisked away the minutes into hours, and when that wasn’t enough, he had a special jutsu to dampen the dark memories that plagued him. There was a reason he was always so late to everything; his chronic fatigue made him take frequent naps that never seemed to help dissuade his droopy eyes.

Being the the Land of Mountain Streams was no different. So laid awake for hours, until he had enough and decided to prepare for the morning.

Tiptoeing quietly around Sakura, he crouched to retrieve his daypack, extracting the other nice clothes Pakkun had gotten for them. He snuck into the bath, and after setting up a nice array of bubbles, settled into for a nice read of Itcha Itcha with his back-up book.

An hour later, he heard some movement outside. Quickly finishing up, Kakashi got ready and re-hid his Makeout Paradise novel. When he exited the bathroom, Sakura sat on the edge of the bed, eyes puffy with sleep and her hair looking like a wild ball of pink.

“You should start getting ready, so we aren’t late for the Daimyo’s brunch.”

Nodding, Sakura cleared her throat. “Yeah. The brunch.”

“And as we get ready, we should discuss what we know,” Kakashi went on, walking around the bed to slip his pajamas (and hidden book) into his pack.

Murmuring her agreement, Sakura grabbed her own set of clothes and walked into the bathroom. “Keep talking, I’m listening,” she said as she slid the door shut.

Kakashi walked towards the door so he wouldn’t have to raise his voice. “Our main targets as of now are Sato Futoshi and his father the Daimyo, Sato Tsutomo. Futoshi has already disclosed the fact that this land has an exuberant amount of wealth, which is odd considering they are, from my knowledge, a land that exports mainly flowers and other flora.”

He heard snaps of buttons as Sakura negotiated her attire. “There’s definitely something else that adds to this Land’s income,” she said. “I can try to talk to Futoshi more, he won’t expect much because I’m female. If you can, you should try to get close to the daimyo and gain additional information.”

“Agreed. Are you ready? Let’s get going.” Kakashi knocked on the door.

“No!”

With a squeal, the door rattled as Sakura held the knob tightly. “We need to follow the festival’s traditions!” Sakura called from behind the bathroom door.

 _Oh_. He’d forgotten what the brunch actually entailed: a day of “discovery,” or re-living seeing your partner for the first time.

Although Sakura couldn’t see it, Kakashi rolled his eyes. “Do we? No one will know otherwise,” he claimed.

“Taking small amounts of deception out of our larger investigation will make the times where duplicity is necessary a lot easier,” Sakura claimed through the door.

“I guess,” Kakashi admitted. He accepted the mission, but this role he was supposed to assume, this acting made him wary. His style was more straightforward, in his own way. Others typically didn’t find significance in his ways until the end, but he never played by other people’s rules. Especially not in a foreign Land. But he was working with a partner, and Sakura’s approach wasn’t _wrong_ , so there was no real reason to fight her on this.

“Well I’m ready; I guess I’ll meet you there” Kakashi said, fixing his mask.

Sakura grumbled through the door, something about _damn dresses_. “Yes, but one more thing: I think later today we should take a look around the immediate area of the village, perhaps at night to get a better lay of land and figure out what we have to work with. We might spot something suspicious we want to investigate more thoroughly at another time.”

Kakashi nodded at first before realizing she couldn’t see. “Agreed. We can discuss that after brunch.” He knocked on the door. “See you in a bit.”

* * *

Konoha was an exciting place to live. It was overflowing with life, love, and movement. Wherever Kakashi went in town, there would be citizens of the Leaf Village out and about enjoying whatever the day had to offer. But Kakashi also knew everyone there. Or rather, everyone knew who _Kakashi_ was. His name carried a connotation of particular weight he couldn’t exactly pinpoint. Yet somehow, everyone knew the Copy Ninja preferred silence to conversation, nods to salutations, and solitude to company. This resulted in Kakashi’s walks around the village being mostly uneventful, which he was quite okay with. No one bothered him, and he could lose himself on the path of life.

Here, it was a different story.

On his walk to the palace, Kakashi’s mere appearance elicited shopkeepers from behind their stands, shoving jewelry and fruits into his palms. Girls giggled and waved from behind fans; families attempted to stop and talk to him. It was overwhelming, and only his ninja training kept his blood pressure from rising.

Eventually, Kakashi found himself at the top of the hill on the other side of town on which the palace rested. He also found himself carrying a bouquet of daisies, but he didn’t recall ever paying for the bundle.

Shoving a free hand in his pocket, Kakashi slouched in front of the large wooden doors of the wall that surrounded the inner palace commons. Futoshi hadn’t given him any more directions beyond appearing at the palace around this time. Kakashi hoped he wasn’t late, he knew that was one of his more annoying tendencies.

Suddenly the doors parted, being pushed by a pair of armored guards. Out walked Futoshi adorned in a bright red suit jacket and tight black pants, arms open and receiving.

“Ah, Kakashi! Welcome, welcome. Most of our guests entered through the side door, but when I was told some lonesome man was waiting outside our main gate, I knew it must be you. Please, join us.”

He gestured for Kakashi to trail behind him, returning to the inner portion of the fence. Acting timid, Kakashi bowed his head and followed, all the while taking notes on the security in place. From what he could tell at a superficial level, protection was offered by different levels of guards. The ones at the front gate had been more advanced, with callouses and broken-in clothes polished to shine. In the immediate area inside the palace walls, guards who were clearly in-training jogged around the premises, carefully watched by a general or a higher ranking official. There were some surveillance cameras, but Kakashi already saw a path to bypass them.

As Futoshi guided him through the maze entrance and around the inner buildings of the complex, more and more weary eyes trailed Kakashi’s steps. Shifting his balance, Kakashi tried to hide his careful footing, a result of years of silent steps and checked body weight. Instead, he thrusted himself forward with every step, sounding like a giant in comparison to his usual stroll.

Eventually they reached a central location that housed a gigantic minka-styled building. Soldiers patrolled the area and perimeter, occasionally poking at brush around the house and elsewhere. Futoshi walked up the few stairs, and a guard opened the door for him. As Kakashi attempted to follow the lord’s son, he was grabbed on the shoulder.

Before he could call out, Futoshi waved his hand. “He’s with me, it’s okay. He’s just a harmless hopeless romantic.”

The guard who held Kakashi back hesitated, just for a split second. To the untrained eye, it was almost too quick, but Kakashi felt it. But then he was released, and allowed entrance to the dining room.

A large room arched overhead, the red wood reflecting the morning sunlight every direction. In the center of the room, a long table stretched across the floor, with dozens of people sitting on cushions having pleasant conversation. Most were men, with an empty space beside them. No one turned at Futoshi approached, until the man at the head of the table noticed. Embellished in samurai-like clothing, but much less practical for fighting, the man greeted Futoshi.

“Ah, son, thank you for bringing another guest to our table. If you could show him his seat, we can get started.”

 _Hm._ So that was the Daimyo. He seemed strong, with large muscles, but was otherwise unimpressive in Kakashi’s mind.

“Of course, Father,” Futoshi bowed his head, and led Kakashi to two empty seats, far away from the Daimyo. As Kakashi folded his legs under him, the son went to sit beside the Lord.

The Daimyo raised a glass, and everyone fell silent.

“Today, we relive one of the best time of most people’s lives: the moment they met their significant other. Some of us have already been endowed with such an honor,” the Daimyo tilted his glass towards a couple next to Kakashi, who blushed, “But for the rest of us, we hold onto the anticipation for our own moment. My wife, Futoshi’s mother, departed from this life too soon.” He cast a sad look at Futoshi. “I wish I could have shared this celebration with her, but nothing would have made her happier than to see all celebrating love. With that, let us commence our meal.”

The Daimyo drank from his goblet, and everyone dug in. People around him talked about how they met each other, sharing stories of heartbreak and adventure. Kakashi took some bites, expressed intrigue in some tales, but overall was watching Futoshi and his father. They too did not take much part in the exchanges, but that was expected of hosts; they were making sure everything ran smoothly.

Little by little, more and more women trickled into the room. Fiances, girlfriends, and wives, and a few husbands surprised their partners with elaborate clothes. People laughed, cried out, and hugged upon realizing who was bothering them. Kakashi waited and waited for Sakura, but she didn’t come.

He snacked on some food, but his stomach wasn’t in the mood and he pushed his mask back up. Each minute that passed filled him with dread. Had they been caught? Was she in trouble?

As he was checking out the far exit, someone tapped him on the shoulder. “Sorry, sir, but is this seat taken?”

About to reject anyone who tried to sit near him, Kakashi waved a hand over the pillow. But then the familiar chakra sense wafted over him, and he looked up at the intruder.

Adorned in a bright red kimono, Sakura smiled down at him playfully, a twinkle in her eye. “Only joking,” she teased him, plopping down unceremoniously beside him. She stole an edamame from his plate, popping it into her mouth. “How is it going?”

Kakashi understood what she was actually asking, and trusted her to interpret his answer accordingly. “Smoothly. Nothing too exciting yet.”

“Kakashi!”

Both the copy-nin and Sakura straightened as Futoshi yelled at them across the table. “Is that the way you act when you meet a pretty woman for the first time?” He gestured in questioning.

 _Ugh_. Why were people so obsessed with ritualistic romance? Kakashi didn’t have time for that in real life, and while the assignment required him to act a certain part, it didn’t mean he had to change fundamental aspects of his personality.

“It’s alright, Futoshi,” Sakura called back, smiling at the entire table, as all eyes were on them now. _Great_. Sakura leaned into Kakashi, knocking his shoulder with her own. “The first time we met, he actually called me an idiot!” Sakura smirked at Kakashi as guests around them reacted either in disbelief or in amusement.

Kakashi stared wide-eyed at her, exposing more pupil then he had in ages. “Really? I don’t remember that.” _Had he really told a group of 12 year olds they were idiots?_

Something evil sparked in Sakura’s green eyes, and pointed at Kakashi’s nose. “That’s what happens when you age, old man! You forget things!” She accentuated her insult by flicking at his mask, and started laughing along with everyone else at the table.

Kakashi bristled. “I’m not _that_ much older than you, there’s no reason—”

“Ahh! There it is, companionable bickering! I love it!” The Daimyo bellowed, slapping a hand on the table in rukous. “You two make quite the couple. Please, it was Kakashi and?...”

“Sakura,” Sakura supplied.

“Sakura,” the Daimyo sweetly repeated. “Please, enjoy yourselves. You two are welcome to anything you want. And if you don’t see it, just ask”

Sakura bowed in thanks, and after being pinched Kakashi did as well.

Finally guests went back to minding their own business, and Kakashi relaxed into his pillow. He picked up his chopstick and moved around a lonesome soybean.

“Did I really say you were an idiot?” He asked Sakura quietly.

She cast him an amused glance. “Well, not _me_ specifically, more like all three of us. But yes, you did. I guess it was more impactful for me than you at the time.”

Kakashi shook his head, still not believing he did such a thing. If he took on a new team now, things would be much different. He pushed the soybean some more.

Sakura frowned at Kakashi. He sensed her calculating his movements, his demeanor. She tensed, air flowing through her lungs, ready to speak to him. But she then she just shoved a dumpling on Kakashi’s plate.

“Ave you tried this yet? It’s really tasty, I checked.” _For poisons,_ was left unsaid.

But Kakashi just pushed that to the side as well. “I’m not very hungry.” He paused. And then abruptly, he said, “I think I’ll go try talking to the Daimyo.” He sat up, his knees cracking as he did so. _Shut up_ , he scolded his body. He really wasn’t that old. He made to leave Sakura, but paused mid-walk. Sakura looked up at him, a small crease on her brows. Then Kakashi leaned down, offered her a peck on the head, and walked away.

The Daimyo was talking to a man of obvious wealth next to him, but the Daimyo was heavy-lidded, circling a finger on the rim of a wine glass. He was clearly uninterested in the topic of conversation. Perfect.

With a bow, Kakashi interrupted them. “Pardon me, but I would love to speak to the Daimyo.”

The Daimyo sat up some more, thankful. “Yes, that is fine. Miko, you’re excused,” he waved a hand at the man who shot Kakashi a gare, but left nonetheless.

With a gesture from the Lord, Kakashi took the vacated seat.

The Daimyo smiled without at teeth, sniffing his wine glass. “You are the tantalizing Sakura’s boyfriend then?”

“Fiance,” Kakashi corrected, alarmed at how quickly the amendment came. He recalled how Sakura’s name had slithered off of his tongue earlier, and Kakashi shivered. “Yes, I am Hata Kakashi. I wanted to thank you for letting us join you at this intimate bruch, it’s very kind of you to open your home to us.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Futoshi always meets nice fellows from the streets, and I trust his judgement. I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself here, our village has much to offer.”

Kakashi leaned forward. “Yes, your village is quite beautiful. I haven’t heard much about it in the past. Would you mind telling me a little bit of your history?”

The large man smiled fully this time, and then shoved a dumpling in his mouth. “Why yes, yes! I always enjoy education others about our amazing land.” He gesticulated wildly, attracting a few guest’s attention. Kakashi noticed Sakura’s eyes wander from a male companion next to her to the Daimyo. The man kept talking, not even realizing Sakura was barely paying attention to his rambling. When she raised an eyebrow at Kakashi, the shinobi simply looked away.

“Long ago, our land was actually apart of one of the greater lands. Which one, you might ask?” The Daimyo shook a finger at Kakashi, flicking some soy sauce on his mask. “That was the debate. Fire, Earth; no one actually knows who we belonged to. The two great nations fought over us constantly, desiring our fertile and prosperous land. Although the warriors always took great lengths to protect our fields, our citizens eventually got fed up.”

Wiping off his mask discreetly, Kakashi said, “That seems reasonable.”

As if Kakashi hadn’t spoken, the Daimyo kept talking without pause. “After our own villagers started protesting and rioting, both Fire and Earth grew angry at us. First, they tried to force us to continue working the land. But when that didn’t work, they tried to coerce us.”

“Why did they not simply cultivate the land themselves?” Kakashi asked.

“Ah! A bright boy, this one!” The Daimyo slapped Kakashi on the shoulder. “You have the mind of strategist, I see. But a true strategist knows all their information, so perhaps you are not as advanced as you think. Us Mountain Stream people are the caretakers of a special strain of bacteria that enhances the soil here. Only we know the technique to keep them alive, and once we issued an ultimatum of destroying every last one, both the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth vacated. Now, we are free.”

Kakashi had to say, he was impressed such a small land manipulated two of the largest lands. “That is truly amazing.”

The Daimyo nodded. Tapping his temple, his brow furrowed as he became serious. “Together, a strong will and strong mind can overcome much.”

“You are very wise,” Kakashi praised him with a small bow. “I am sure you are teaching your son such important lessons, preparing him to one day take your place.”

The Daimyo sighed. “I wish he would listen to me long enough to absorb anything I say. I’m afraid he takes after his mother much more, with his head in the clouds.”

“That’s an admirable trait,” Kakashi found himself defending. “You mentioned Futoshi’s mother… You said she passed too soon.”

The Daimyo's intonation completely changed. “Indeed I did.” He grew sullen, retreating from the conversation.

That just piqued Kakashi’s interest.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened? Does Futoshi have any memory of her?”

Abruptly, the Daimyo stood. Out of respect, everyone stopped talking and stood with him.

“This conversation is over. As well as this brunch,” he raised his voice. “Thank you for coming, but I am suddenly feeling tired. See you all for more festivities later.” He bowed, and left without waiting for reciprocation.

Silence followed the quick exit of the lord Daimyo, but everyone soon followed suit. Glaring daggers at Kakashi, Sakura swiftly arrived next to him as they were escorted out.

“What did you say to him?” She whispered under her breath, displeasure in her voice.

“It wasn’t what I said; it was what I asked. He was very dodgy about Futoshi’s mother. I think we should look into it.” Kakashi eyed the guards as they pushed them out of the palace grounds.

Sakura kicked a stick in the road as they turned onto the main road that led to their quarters. “Well the death of a mother or a loved one can be very traumatic, sometimes people never want to confront the pain of retelling the story of a passing,” Sakura said.

 _Indeed_ , Kakashi thought, recalling all of own losses. But he didn’t want to think about that, perhaps proving her point exactly. Instead, he said “How very analytical. Your medical training is showing.”

Sakura shrugged. “It’s a part of me, what can I say?”

“Well _I_ say it’s something worth investigating further.”

“Fine,” Sakura agreed. “It’s not like we have any other leads. Let me change, and we can ask around.”

* * *

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the village, aptly questioning anyone willing to strike up a conversation about the Daimyo’s late wife. Most were excited to talk to who Futoshi had apparently been calling “the most attractive couple to ever grace his presence,” but once Futoshi’s mother was mentioned, discourse fell flat.

The most they had gotten out of any one talk was her name.

“Oh, no, no,” the jeweler had waved his hands, now ushering Sakura away from the bracelet stand. “We don’t talk about Momoka here. I think I’m going to take a break now, but if you would like to purchase anything, please come back later.” And he closed the store behind them.

They now sequestered at a local pub, hiding in the shadows of a far booth.

“Why is everyone so afraid to talk to us about Momoka?” Sakura whispered, circling a finger over her cup of sake. From what Kakashi could tell, she’d inherited her shishou’s affinity for alcohol, but somehow despite her small size built up a tolerance to combat Genma’s.

“It is weird. I think we should keep poking at it, see if anything else comes up.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Sakura agreed. She eyed Kakashi’s own small cup. “Are you going to drink?”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her. “I don’t have the best resilience when it comes to sake, but I suppose a sip wouldn’t hurt.” He raised the cup to his face, and Sakura’s eyes widened as she leaned forward over the table. He heard her breathing stop as the lip of the cup drew ever closer to himself. Kakashi poured the sake through his mask with expertise, and sighed placing down the now-lighter cup. Sakura relaxed against the table, sighing with disappointment.

“What was that about?” Kakashi asked, trying to downplay the intrige in his voice.

“I can’t believe you drink without taking your mask off,” Sakura muttered, downing her sake and looking away.

“Oh,” Kakashi chuckled. “Still on that? It’s been so long since you and Sasuke and Naruto tried to get me to remove it. What a day.” Kakashi sat back, smiling. They were so foolish, back then. Sakura just glared at him, clutching her empty sake cup in front of her face. “Is that why you tried to shove food on my plate during brunch?”

“Maybe,” Sakura mumbled. “What did you think I was doing? Being a dutiful fiance?”

“If you subscribe to societal heteronormativity, sure,” Kakashi said. “But why didn’t you simply take a peak while we were eating ramen?”

Confusion, recollection, surprise, and then anger all passed over Sakura’s face within a few seconds. “Oh my Kami…” she slapped her face. “I didn’t even think of it then, I was too fixated on Futoshi…”

Kakashi rolled his eyes. “I supposed he is handsome.”

Sakura dragged her hand down her face, pulling some skin down to give her a dead-looking gaze. “He is, but that’s not what I meant. I was actually focusing on getting information out of him, thank you very much.” She straightened at her seat, eyes draining of the playfulness they’d had before. “I’m going to get more sake.” She hastily made her way to the bar, not looking back at Kakashi.

The gray-haired shinobi felt a little bad at the false accusation, but what else was he supposed to think? Before, Sakura had only one thing on her mind: proving herself to Sasuke. He figured she could have changed, but it was easier to fall into old habits. He decided to really try and expect more from her, especially after their heart-to-heart the previous night.

As he waited for Sakura to return to the table, Kakashi’s awareness heightened as three burly men approached his lonesome table. They each wore torn t-shirts, exposing their bulging biceps and extensive tattoos. Kakashi refused to acknowledge them until the leader banged his hand on the table.

Calmly, Kakashi peered up at the man, a deadpan expression on his face.

“May I help you?”

Hitching his hands into his pants, the man announced, “It’s tradition for any newbie that walks in this bar to arm wrestle all of us.”

“Oh?” Kakashi replied, eyeing them skeptically.

“Yup,” a smaller man besides the leader affirmed. Another one snickered, elbowing his brethren. “If you win, we buy you a round. If we win, you buy everyone in this bar a round.”

The trio clearly considered Kakashi an idiot, there was no way this was tradition, or else this bar would be a lot emptier than it was. They were simply picking on a frail looking foreigner. Or at least someone that looked frail under bulky clothes.

“That hardly seems fair,” Kakashi noted. “There’s many more of you guys than me. I’ll tire myself out.”

The men shrugged. “That’s the way it is. Take it, or beat it.”

“I’ll take you up on that.”

The four men looked around confused, until they all realized the voice came from a tiny person behind the locals. They turned, revealing a Sakura holding a fresh bottle of sake, looking angry at the aggressive men.

The men side-eyed each other. “That hardly seems lady like,” one finally said, attempting to laugh off her claim.

Sakura’s demeanor changed. “Alright, let’s go.” After pushing passed the men forcefully, she slid into place besides Kakashi in the booth. Tossing the sake bottle to the older shinobi, she scrunched up her sleeve, perching an elbow on the table. Hand splayed, she looked at the men expectantly. “Well? Are you afraid of a little girl?”

Now thoroughly uncomfortable, the men shifted from foot to foot. They couldn’t refuse, or else their manlihood would be harmed. But they couldn’t accept a duel from a woman that was meant for a man.

Right?

Kakashi shook his head. Frail men. It was pathetic.

Sakura sensed their internal battle, for she sighed and said, “Okay, how about I sweeten the deal? If you beat me, I’ll give you a kiss. If I beat you, you have to give me what I want.”

Her phrasing dramatically piqued the men’s interest. “And what is it that you want?” The leader said, leaning closer to Sakura suggestively.

“Sakura,” Kakashi found himself warning the kunoichi. The redolent way Sakura and the man were handling themselves irked Kakashi in a way he couldn’t precisely explain.

Sakura eyed Kakashi, her countenance still empty when speaking to him. “It’s all right. I got this.”

Kakashi had no other choice but to watch when the man straightened, placing his hands on his hips and laughed. “Okay, little girl. I accept your challenge.” The other fellows laughed at Sakura, summoning bristles on Kakashi’s spine. They didn’t know what they were in for.

The first of the trio, the smallest, shoved Kakashi deeper into the booth in order to sit across from Sakura. He slammed his elbow on the table, giving Sakura a naughty smirk.

“I’ll try to go easy on you.”

Sakura smirked back. “How kind.”

They clasped hands, and the battle began. They stared each other down, each smiling, until the man’s face changed. He looked from this intertwined palms, back to Sakura, eyes wide. He tried to push a little harder, but the pink-haired girl didn’t budge. She looked at her other hand, as if she was contemplating getting a manicure as the man tried to move her arm. Kakashi could smell the sweat forming on the man’s forehead before it formed, and he shook his head.

 _She’s probably not even using any chakra yet,_ Kakashi thought.

Finally, Sakura rolled her eyes. “Enough is enough.” After blowing a kiss to her challenger, she summoned a bit more strength and slammed his hand upside down on the table, signifying her victory.

There was stunned silence from the men.

“What? Impossible. Let me try,” the second one exclaimed. Tearing his friend from the booth, he sat down in front of Sakura, raising his hand expectantly.

Sakura just shrugged. “Let’s do this.”

And as for most idiots, history repeated itself. As Kakashi started fumbling with the unopened bottle of sake Sakura had brought earlier, Sakura won without trying, and now the leader was angry.

“Is this some trick?” He replaced his friend as challenger, and glared at Sakura. “I’ll figure you out. There’s no way you can beat me.”

Sakura smirked, enjoying herself now. “Wanna bet?”

 _I’ve never seen Sakura like this before,_ Kakashi realized, taking a sip of the sake. _Damn_. What was it? She’d picked out some really good brand.

“Urhhhhgggg!” Kakashi heard the leader growl out. Looking up, Kakashi noted they’d drawn a crowd now. Well, Sakura had. No one was really noticing him. Instead, a group of at least 20 was watching, mystified at the small woman that was besting this men in an arm wrestling contest.

As predicted, Sakura finally got bored and decided to end it. The man clutched his arm, whimpering in pain as he gathered his friends and fled. Sakura blew out air from the side of her cheek. “Well that’s not fair, they didn’t hold up their end of the deal.”

Taking another sip of Sakura, Kakashi asked, “What was it you would want anyw—”

“I want to try!” “Let me go!” Kakashi was interrupted by the crowd surging forward, arms out. Men and women alike wanted a chance to beat the baffling foreigner.

Sakura grinned. “Arlight, one at a time. You all can get a chance.”

Kakashi could tell when he was out of the picture. Sighing, he took his sake bottle and shimmied underneath the booth, escaping the sweaty pack of villagers. He settled across the bar where he could maintain eyesight on his partner, but remain in the shadows.

One by one, Sakura beat the next challenger, and one by one, Kakashi downed more and more cups of sake. A sip per downhearted loser, which added up quickly.

By the time Sakura finished up her escapade, Kakashi had gone through the entire bottle, plus a half left by a bystander. Sakura stood up on the table, and thrust her fist in the air to the shouts of the bar.

“Sa-ku-ra! Sa-ku-ra!” They cheered for her.

With the biggest smile on her face, Kakashi was astounded to realize _this_ was her element. Not on a team that doesn’t believe in her, not in the lab, alone, but proving to herself and others that she was formidable. And she glowed.

“I have to go soon,” she announced. The bar booed. “Don’t worry, though! I have a few questions, if someone could answer for me before I leave.” Everyone started talking at once, clamoring to get a few seconds with her, and she laughed as she hopped down from the booth.

With her short height, Kakashi lost visual on Sakura. He tried to stand up to find her, but a wave of distortion rose from his stomach to his head.

“Whoa…” he sat back down, defeated. Then he giggled. What a night his had turned into. He couldn’t remember the last time he dranken like this… it was probably when he was in Anbu, being hazed. But that wasn’t as fun as this.

Kakashi didn’t know how long he waited, but by the time Sakura emerged from a dispersing crowd, he rested his head on an outstretched arm, which was losing feeling from carrying his weight.

“There you are,” Sakura said, looking worried. She stopped in front of him, cocking her head. “Are you okay?”

“Just dandy!” kakashi exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up. “ _So_ good…”

Ignoring Kakashi, Sakura’s eyes widened. “How much did you drink?” She extended her hand to start examining Kakashi’s eyes, but he waved her away.

“Dosnt mattr. Didyu have fun?” Kakashi slurred out.

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Yes, but I also got information. Futoshi’s mother didn’t just die, she was _killed_. By a Leaf Ninja.”

“Leaf Ninja?” Kakashi repeated, lifting his head. That resulted in an outstanding pounding in his brain, and he put pressure on his eye. “Aren’t we?...”

“Yes, but don’t say that outloud, idiot! We need to go,” Sakura decided. Shoving the sake away rom Kakashi, she slung his arm around her shoulders, dragging him away from the booth. It took a while, but Kakashi finally found his footing and helped Sakura hold his body upright.

“Kinda like N’gto,” Kakashi muttered.

“My thought exactly,” Sakura whispered back. “I’m surprised you could make the connected so wasted.”

“I’m surpris’d I underestimated you,” Kakashi said, feeling slightly better with some movement. “I should’ve guessed your motives for the--" (Kakashi  hiccuped) "--challengers.”

“That’s okay. It took awhile for Tsunade to stop underestimating me. I don’t think Sasuke will ever stop underestimating me.”

“Well he should. You r’lly have grown inta fine shinobi.” _And not a bad woman, either_.

“You already said that,” Sakura smirked.

“I know,” Kakashi sighed, throwing an arm in front of him, as if it added _umph_ to his statement. “But I thought it was worth mentioning again.”

Sakura laughed, and Kakashi found himself started to enjoy the pleasant noise. “Gosh, sensei. You really can’t hold your alcohol.”

Aggravated, Kakashi shoved Sakura away, stumbling as he tried to collect his balance. “I told you not to call me that,” he mumbled. He shook his head, trying to sober up, but it just started a headache. “Besides, with the firework show tonight, I thought we could be sneaky without worrying about our noise levels.”

Sakura shook her head. “Even with your mind muddled, you’re still sharper than most. But I don’t think you can control your body right now, and don’t question me on that,” she pointed at him as he started to react. “It’s simply science. How about I get you to bed, and I do the sneaky part?”

“You? Alone?” Kakashi narrowed her eyes at her, then tripped on a pebble. Sakura reached out instinctively to catch him before he fell, but he could sense the tension in her body.

“What? You don’t trust me?” Indignation was barely restrained in her voice.

Kakashi knew he had to tread carefully, but in his intoxicated state, he couldn’t hold back his next words. “No. It’s just… I’d rather be with you. You’re fun, and I like hanging out with you.”

Sakura’s grasps on his arms squeezed. She certainly hadn’t been expecting that admission. Although if she thought about it, she couldn’t be surprised that the older shinobi would be accustomed to never sharing his personal thoughts on anything. That’s just who Kakashi was. But now…  she was in the center of a rare moment of a lapse of Kakashi’s cognitive abilities. Deciding to take advantage, Sakura asked, “I still don’t understand why I was chosen to be on this mission with you. How much do I really know about you?” She asked.

“Obviously, my ramen order,” Kakashi mumbled through his mask. She was losing him to the alcohol.

The atmosphere deflated with Sakura’s exhale. “That’s not enough.”

But either Kakashi didn’t hear her, or he was too far gone now, as they walked the rest of the way in silence. The gray-haired man was _heavy_ despite his lean stature, and but Sakura had no trouble carrying him into the room and depositing him (aka throwing him) onto the bed.

Kakashi yipped out in slight pain, and growled as he tried to move his limbs in a more comfortable position. Sighing once more, Sakura figured she should arrange some things for him in the morning. She collected a glass of water, and found a pill to place on the nightstand from her medkit. By the time she returned to the bed, Kakashi was actually sitting up, but staring at the opposite wall.

“Okay,” Sakura announced, hands on her hips. “I’ll place a jutsu on the room to keep you in and others out, so you should be safe. I think you’ll be fine, and will feel much better in the morning.”

With a shift of his body, Kakashi turned to the side to face the other shinobi. He stared at her, sending waves of intention until she relented and shifted her eyes to meet his.

“I’m not particularly close to anyone, Sakura,” Kakashi told her. “And you’re very observational… I have a feeling you know more about myself than I tried to let you in on.”

 _What? Oh, he must still be on their previous conversation topic._ As much as she wanted to pry, Sakura needed to go. She had a mission to do.

“It’s time for bed, sensei.” She drew the covers over her former instructor.

“Don’t… don’t call me…” Sleep was quickly taking Kakashi, and it was pretty adorable. His eyes drooped more so than usual, and his mask was starting to fall down his face. Out of respect, Sakura reached out to lift the face covering back up; but Kakashi caught her hand mid-air. Electricity coursed through her arm, and fear struck her heart. Had she crossed some boundary that she shouldn’t have? She recalled the light brush of his lips on her seal from brunch; although obstructed by a mask, she didn’t think straight the next couple of minutes.

“Sakura,” Kakashi breathed, eyes barely open.

“Yes?” What could he want? He was so vulnerable right now, and it was starting to mess with Sakura’s mind.

“At least… at least take Pakkun.”

 _Pakkun? One of his closest friends?_ “No, I couldn’t.” Sakura insisted. She couldn’t be a bother to the dog.

“Please,” Kakashi said, summoning the strength to open his right eye. It was out of focus, but Sakura could see the intensity behind his gaze. “It would make me feel better to know someone was with you. I know you can handle yourself, but…” his hand released Sakura, and with a snap a scroll appeared in his palm. Sakura had forgotten about his grasp on her, and immediately the cold sent shivers up her spine.

He dropped the scroll on his bed as his hand lost stamina. “You know what to do,” and the ninja finally lost consciousness.

“I do,” Sakura said, standing with the scroll over her chest. “Sleep well… Kakashi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW so this was a long one, haha. Hope it was okay! Things are starting to get kicked up a notch. Please let me know if you're enjoying this so far!! (or if I have some mistakes, this one is severely unbeta-ed)


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Kakashi incapacitated, it's up to Sakura to investigate.

Sakura surmised what Kakashi wanted from her, so after the old shinobi passed out, she gently took his hand, palm up. It was so large compared to hers, so rough and calloused from years of service. It had been through more than she could imagine, and yet she still handled it with the utmost care as if it would break with the slightest pressure.

Taking out a kunai knife, Sakura pressed down on his forefinger, releasing a small flow of dark red. Unfolding the scroll Kakashi had given her, she deftly stained the parchment with Kakashi’s blood. Scroll in hand, she recalled the proper hand signs as she walked out of the bedroom. Once in the living space, she whispered, “Summoning jutsu!”

Slapping her hand on the floor, the seal appeared, and with a puff of smoke, Pakkun was sitting on the ground, looking up at Sakura in confusion.

“Will Kakashi not be joining us?”

Turning away, Sakura shook her head. “Not this time,” she explained, leaving to grab her tools from a kitchen cabinet. “It’s just you, me, and this village at night.”

“Sounds like fun. Let’s go.”

* * *

After shedding her usual red blazer for a more night-appropriate outfit, the dog and the ninja set off to investigate the village grounds. Sakura was sure people would question her walking around late at night without her partner, so she decided to stick to the shadows to start off.

Pakkun was content to let her take the lead at first, which both excited and frightened Sakura. She’d never ranked highest on a mission unless it was in the hospital. But she wouldn’t let Pakkun down; she wouldn’t let Kakashi down.

Her first destination was the palace. Thanks to Kakashi, she knew where the security cameras were placed, and how frail the guard detail was in the royal grounds. Infiltration would be easy, especially with such a minimal group.

Expeditiously, the pair reached the main palace walls. Two guards walked the perimeter here, so Pakkun and Sakura waited in the bushes nearby until their shift was over.

Apparently the dog thought they were out of earshot, since he struck up conversation.

“How has it been working for Kakashi-kun?”

Keeping an eye on the two guards, Sakura responded, “Interesting so far, I suppose. He hasn’t changed that much in regards to wanting to work mostly by himself, even if he always preaches about teamwork.” A guard sneezed.

“Ah, yes,” the dog agreed. “That is one of his faults. He sees the value in sharing, but finds it hard to do so himself.” Pakkun scratched the back of his ear. “But he tries.”

“I know,” Sakura found herself saying, only half-paying attention to the words streaming from her mouth. “I guess I do know that. He did mention he wished he could be here now… but with the circumstances, I thought that unwise.”

The dog almost replied back but was withheld with a hand from Sakura. The guards were about to move. She rose from her crouch, and the second the guards turned the corner, she was off. Summoning chakra to her feet, she scaled the vertical wall with ease, leapt over the barrier, and landed without a sound on the other side. Pakkun followed suit a mere second later.

After a quick awareness, Sakura concluded they were near the bathing quarters of the palace. “Come on,” she whispered. “Follow me, I know a safe route to the residential area. But let me know if you scent anyone approaching.”

The dog woofed back, signaling his understanding.

The darkness of the night blanketed the palace grounds, the small sliver of the moon offering little relief. But the fireworks were scheduled to start soon, so Sakura wasn’t concerned about visibility. However with better sight came a higher probability of discovery. A ninja’s life was full of win-lose scenarios.

Step by step, Sakura stayed in the shadows, using chakra to muffle her movements. They avoided cameras, guard patterns, and any other resident that was found roaming the area. Eventually they made their way past the dining area, and reached the residential suites.

Perched on a roof, Sakura knelt down next to Pakkun. “This is where I think we would find something, if anything,” Sakura claimed. “Here.” She removed a piece of cloth from a front pocket. “I took this from Futoshi a little while back, but hopefully some scent will remain. He should be close to the Daimyo’s quarters. Want to have a go?”

The dog padded forward and sniffed the fabric. With a nod, he was off.

The path to Futoshi’s bedroom was convoluted, as the son seemed to get around. But eventually, they reached a living space that Pakkun was certain was Futoshi’s.

 “His scent is most concentrated here, it must be where he sleeps. Nothing else would smell like this,” Pakkun explained.

“Great. Let’s go.” Sakura slid down the side of the building, landing just outside of the front entrance.

“Father! The fireworks are going to start any minute!” Futoshi’s voice came from inside.

“Calm down, Futoshi,” a disgruntled Daimyo said. “I know. Let me just finish writing this… ring for your servant.”

The sound of a bell emanated from the room, and Sakura in a rush Pakkun behind a brush, quickly using a jutsu to hide their presence. A tired-looking servant exited a room connected to Futoshi’s quarters and walked from across the way to Futoshi’s area.

“How may I be of service, my Lord?” The servant asked from the doorway.

“Let’s take this outside,” the Daimyo responded. Sakura eyed Pakkun who returned the same curious gaze.

The Daimyo exited, looking extravagant as always. But he didn’t seem to care about the festivities planned for the night, he was worrying with a scroll in his hands.

“Take this to the perimeter with speed. They’ll know what to do. Be back before Futoshi does later tonight.” He handed over the small scroll.

The servant bowed, and moved to depart.

“That was weird. One of us should follow,” Pakkun noted quietly.

“I agree, but how will we know where or when to meet up?” Sakura asked, feeling antsy. That exchange was definitely something to investigate further, but they couldn’t give up a chance to search Futoshi’s things on such an opportune night.

“I’ll go, and if something is happening, I’ll summon you.”

“What? You’ll summon me?” Sakura broke her concentration of watching the Daimyo to look at the small pug. “You can do that?”

“I may be Kakashi’s summon and it may have been Kakashi’s blood, but it was your chakra that summoned me earlier. Which gives me one summon myself. A summon for a summon. This is a two-way deal, Sakura,” the pug explained. “But I’ll lose his scent if I wait any longer. See you soon.” The dog shimmied from her arms and scurried after the servant, leaving Sakura alone.

 _Well, alright,_ Sakura thought. Maybe that was why Kakashi was always late; he had to come back from wherever his dogs had summoned him randomly. But that didn’t seem likely. She hoped her former sensei was doing okay, and not choking on his own vomit. With that mask, it would be hard not to suffocate. Perhaps she should have taken it off, snuck a peak under the guise. It would have been for his own good, so what if she got something out of the deal?...

No. Why was she daydreaming of what Kakashi looked like under his mysterious mask? She needed to focus. He wasn’t daydreaming material anyways. Wasn’t he like a billion years old? Although he certainly didn’t show it. In fact, despite his lazy demeanor, he was much more in shape than other ninjas just becoming chunin now. And then she remembered the soft kiss on her forehead; the way he had clung to her before she left him…

No! Sakura slapped herself to kick out of it.

“Hello?”

Futoshi and Daimyo had descended the steps from Futoshi’s room, and the two were looking around for the source of the sound. “Is someone there?” The Daimyo called out.

 _Shit._ _Shit shit shit._ Sakura fell to the ground, making herself flat. She couldn’t be the reason this mission fell apart; she would _not_ be the cause of their cover being blown. Back on Team 7, she never felt useful. She’d always get knocked out quickly, or Sasuke had to rescue her. Well, this time, neither of those things would happen. She’d gained Kakashi’s confidence, _finally_ , after years, and she wasn’t about to lose it tonight.

“Hello?” Futoshi repeated as the Daimyo started walking around. The footsteps grew closer and closer, until —”Father, I don’t think anyone is here. Let’s just go.”

The father examined his son, stoic as a statue. Crossing his hands in front of his body, he said, “If you wish, son.” Sakura shivered at the disapproving tone, but the Daimyo listened to his child and returned by his side. “Let’s go enjoy the show.”

Sakura waited a few minutes more after she stopped hearing their footfalls, and then pushed up to her own feet.

“Okay, Futoshi. Let’s see what you got.”

* * *

Apparently, it wasn’t much.

Even after what felt like half an hour of rummaging through Futoshi’s artifacts, Sakura was still coming up short. She’d found a few notes here and there describing preparations for the festival, some lists of diplomat’s likes and dislikes, but nothing incriminating.

Mostly, Futoshi’s room was littered in doodles.

Drawings of plants, animals and people lined his walls, were crumbled into balls on his desk, and layered in stacks in his drawers. It seemed they had a potential artist in the family, or at least someone who was more interested in that than ruling a Land. Sakura actually felt a little bad for Futoshi. His passion surely was not being received well by his father.

With a last sweep, including using a jutsu designed to reveal any hidden locks, Sakura figured there wasn’t much to see here.

She decided she should try her chances at the Daimyo’s quarters, even if it was riskier. She scurried around the area until she found a house heavily guarded. There was no sneaking into this area. Should she use genjutsu? No, if they found out alarms would be signaled. That was too risky. Maybe...

Sakura used a few hand signs. “Transformation jutsu!”

With a poof, she changed into a chambermaid, arms full of new sheets. She walked around, until she discovered a sleeping quarters about twice the size of Futoshi’s, with three times the number of guards. Mustering up confidence, she trotted up the steps, not paying any attention to the soldiers.

Just as her foot hovered above the first set of stairs, a guard caught her shoulder. “Halt! Who are you, and what do you want?”

Acting as if the man was a complete idiot (it wasn’t hard, she just pretended he was Naruto), Sakura cocked an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious? I need to change the Lord’s bedding.”

The guard looked disturbed, catching the eye of a fellow guard. “Didn’t he already get his room cleaned earlier today?”

Now, Sakura huffed. “He likes them changed twice a day, of course. You know how he is. Now, if you are refusing me, who do I talk to to let the Daimyo know his personal guard is responsible for his sleeping in dirty sheets tonight?”

Immediately the guard paled and backed away, signaling the okay to the others. “No one, no one, miss. Please, go in.”

Bowing in thanks, Sakura continued.

In complete contrast to Futoshi’s room, the Daimyo’s was spotless. Sakura wasn’t too far off in her ruse in claiming the Daimyo liked things clean; no wonder her act had worked so well. In fact, it seemed he hardly kept any personal affairs besides a single photograph of his family while his wife was still alive.

There was no way Sakura doubted her shishou, but perhaps the Land of Mountain Streams really wasn’t planning anything nefarious.

And then Sakura felt her whole body lurch.

She thought her diaphragm stopped working, and her world went white. She tried to chakra scan herself, but her hands weren’t responding; now she couldn’t think, she couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t—

“Oof!”

With a hard thud, Sakura landed flat on the ground. Her face planted into some mud, splattering across her hair.

But she could breathe.

Reaching out, she clutched grass under her hands, and let out a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, it takes a little getting used to.”

Angling her head awkwardly, Sakura saw Pakkun sitting right in front of her on his hind legs, looking down a bit smugly. “Once you’ve gone through the process a few times, you get more elegant at landing on your feet.”

“ _That’s_ what being summoned feels like?” Sakura grumbled. The dog nodded.

“Now, get up on your feet, I found something interesting.” In the process of getting onto his own feet, Pakkun kicked more mud onto Sakura’s face. With a violent exhale, Sakura hefted herself up and scurried after the swift dog. As she caught up with him, she took the time to gather her surroundings. It seemed they were now beyond the outer walls of the village, near the fields that supplied the people with food.

Pakkun took the trees, and Sakura summoned chakra to her feet for silent climbing. As the fireworks cackled above them, workers in the paddies continued the farming dutifully. Sakura knew people needed to eat, even during times of celebration, but why were there so many? Especially this late at night? It didn’t seem right.

A few minutes into the journey through the trees, Pakkun stopped where they had a good view of a particularly odd patch of workers. He nodded his head to the people below. “Look down there. What do you see them planting?”

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura tried to determine what the men and women on the ground were doing. But even with the flashes of light the fireworks offered, she couldn’t make out anything.

She shook her head. “No clue.”

Pakkun growled. “Well, I can’t see, but I can smell it. It’s certainly not anything edible, nor something meant to be eaten. Why waste resources?”

Crouching on the branch, Sakura agreed. “Especially in a village so small, they don’t have a huge availability of land to cultivate. I’m going to get closer.”

“Sakura, no—”

But before Pakkun could finish his objection, Sakura hopped down from the security of the branch. Passed the tree line, there was no cover. Regardless, Sakura treaded away from her partner.

Diligent as always, no one noticed a black blob move slowly from the bushes.

She moved just a few feet away, trying to get closer to the hoed fields. The patch next to her was already sprouting, but nothing was identifiable about the plant.

“Did you see this?”

Sakura stilled as a worker about twenty yards away walked up to a fellow farmer, something in his hand.

“New instructions. We need to try and harvest more quickly.”

The man receiving the orders bristled, slapping his gloves together to remove dirt. “How? We are growing as fast as we can.” He tore open the scroll, reading it quickly.

The messenger shrugged. “The details are in here, I guess. Take a look for yourself. But my wife is waiting at home, and I’d like to enjoy the fireworks with my family, even if it’s just for a little bit.”  

In a hurry, Sakura retreated back into the trees just before the man started walking towards her, pulling off his dirtied overshirt and removing his gloves. Pakkun soon arrived next to her.

“Well? Learn anything?”

Sakura held up a finger. “Wait here just a second.” She kept an eye on the worker who received the scroll, who upon finishing up readint the message let out an annoyed growl. Rolling it back haphazardly, he shoved it into his back pocket, exposing the scroll to the world.

Perfect.

Not letting her eyes leave the disgruntled worker, Sakura climbed down the trees once more, crawling from her hiding place. Bit by bit, she tiptoed closer and closer to the worker, who had resumed planting more seeds in an aggravated manner. She closed the distance between her and the worker, who bent at his waist, displaying his butt in the air.

 _Just… a little more…_ Sakura stretched out her hand as far as it could go. Her fingers brushed the top of the scroll… _yes!_ She grasped it.

“Huh?”

The man turned around to see nothing. Scratching the back of his head, he went back to work.

Sakura panted on the branch, back to the trunk. Pakkun crawled onto her legs, shaking his head. “That was too close.”

Smiling through her inhales, Sakura laughed. “Don’t underestimate the speed at which I can use the flicker technique, Pakkun. But here, now we have this.” She opened the scroll so both of them could see it.

It meant nothing to Sakura. The lines made sounds, syllables were strung together, but it didn’t have any meaning.

“It’s encoded,” Pakkun voiced what both had assumed.

Trying to contain her disappointment, Sakura moved Pakkun from her legs. “Then we’ll just have to try and decipher it.” Brushing off her boots, she stood up. “For now, I think we’ve done enough. I should get back to Kakashi and make sure he didn’t die.”

“I’ll go back with you. You fancy a walk under a nice fireworks display?”

“Sure,” Sakura smiled down at the dog. The two took off through the trees.

* * *

Turns out, the main square of the village was were everyone went to view the fireworks, so Pakkun and Sakura had the entire streets to their own. Feeling free, the dog talked without reservation.

“...and then he threw Gai into the river, complaining how he should know better then to borrow one of his Itcha Itcha without asking!”

Sakura held back a loud chortle, clutching at her stomach. “I knew Kakashi was crazy about his disgusting books, but really?! Poor Gai Sensei!”

“I know, I know. He felt bad afterwards, and let Gai win the next three challenges,” Pakkun admitted with a laugh.

The two fell into amicable silence, walking side by side. Sakura shifted the scroll in his hands, considering her next words carefully. She knew how loyal dogs could be from hanging out with Kiba. And these ninken were bonded to Kakashi on a whole different level. But she could still try. So, timidly, she asked, “Kakashi says I know him better than most… but I still wonder a lot about him.”

The soft click of Pakkun’s nails on the cobblestone slowed down. “There is a lot to wonder about,” the dog agreed. “Young Hatake has had a hard life, and is not quick to share his struggles.” He paused, taking in Sakura. She looked at the scroll, but her mind was distant.

Perhaps Kakashi would not approve of certain boundaries to be overstepped, but the dog didn’t fear any repercussions. He took care of Kakashi as if he were his own pup after Sakumo passed away. How was this any different?

After taking a deep inhale, the dog captured Sakura’s attention. “But he wasn’t talking about knowing him in the past, he was talking about how you know him now.” Sakura’s eyes widened. “You’ve absorbed his tendencies, balanced out his flaws. In time, you will also understand his past.” _I would bet Bull’s collar on it_ , the dog thought.

The pink-haired ninja nodded, determination and excitement that flashing behind her emerald eyes that gave the dog validation for revealing insight of his master. “I hope so. But is there anything you can offer me? Just a little bone, perhaps?

Pakkun almost-smiled at the pun. But what he said did not offer any joy. “All I can say is that Kakashi has lost almost everyone, and now is very careful letting anyone else in. His hard demeanor isn’t a way to push people away, it is a way to protect his own heart. Reticence came as a necessity, not a choice.”

Sakura pulled the scroll closer to her chest, following behind step of her companion. “Oh. That’s awful.”

“Indeed,” the dog agreed, taking the lead just as they arrived at their motel. Turning his head, he looked back at Sakura with a warm gaze. “But I’m hopeful his future will not be as gloomy.”

Leaving Sakura without further explanation, he pawed open the door and went to find Kakashi.

* * *

Kakashi woke up with a hangover. That had never happened before.

It took many minutes for Kakashi to pry his eyes open, and even more for them to focus on anything in the room. His head pounded, his mind was blurry, and he was utterly and completely embarrassed. Last night seemed like a distant memory of an unworthy breakfast; he remembered that he’d eaten, he remembered where he’d eaten, but he couldn’t remember how the breakfast felt upon being eaten.

Maybe it wasn’t the best analogy. Give him a break, he was exhausted.

Grousing, Kakashi sat up in bed, covering his mouth when some bile rose in his throat. His heart froze. He patted at his face, then relaxed with a sigh. His mask was still in place.

Blowing onto his hand, Kakashi sniffed his palm.

“Ugh!” He twisted away, disgusted at his own breath. Shuffling out of bed, he stumbled into the bathroom. The mirror unveiled what a mess he looked like: his gray hair stuck up about a foot into the air, his eyes were puffy, and his mask, although up just as his physical examination concluded, was wonky.

With a groan, Kakashi pushed the sink handle, which spouted water much more loudly than was necessary. He pulled down his mask and started brushing his teeth.

The man in the mirror gave him a deplorable look, two gray eyes marked with resentment and regret. How could he have allowed this? He’d gone too far, gotten too comfortable with Sakura. At a time like this, it put the entire mission at jeopardy.

Not anymore. Once they were back at the village, he could act normal. But for now…

Grasping at both sides of the sink, Kakashi spit in resolution. He looked up, eyes narrowed.

He pulled up his mask. For now, he’d retreat. Back into himself, back to who he was before.

For the sake of the mission.

Right?

There was a rustle at the door, and Kakashi’s nerves spiked. Not caring to check his physical status, he ran to the living room, hands together prepared for the worst.

The handle turned, and Kakashi breathed in, readying his chakra. “Does this mean that Katsuyu can summon me whenever she wants?” He heard through the wood as the door turned.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kakashi slumped. Pakkun walked through the small crack first, looking back at Sakura. “I guess so.” The dog then noticed Kakashi, eyes widening. Kakashi quickly fixed himself up, standing strong when Sakura walked in.

“Ugh, so gross… snails…” she didn't realize Kakashi was waiting for her as she turned to close the door. Removing her gloves, she shivered. “Well, let’s go check on our sleepy man, shall we?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Kakashi announced. With a yelp, Sakura jumped around. There Kakashi stood, hands tucked into his pockets with his eyes lidded as usual.

She clapped and rushed to his side. “Kakashi! You’re awake! It hasn’t been that long. Are you okay?” She inspected his eyes, and outright stood on her tiptoes to smell his breath.

Daintily, Kakashi pushed her away with one finger on her forehead seal. “I’m quite alright.”

“Okay,” Sakura said, dubious. Pulling a scroll from a pocket, Sakura waved it front of his face.  “There is so much to tell you! I think we might have a lead!”

Her disclosure did not surprise Kakashi, despite the fact a burst of pride filled his chest. But he kept his face serene, trying to hold himself together. Back to his blasé ways, he said, “Alright. Let’s go over what you know.”

Half-dismissing her, he walked to the small table in the kitchen and sat down unceremoniously. Sakura paused, trying to evaluate how to respond. Shaking her head, she joined him across the table.

In just a few minutes, she recounted everything she found, including the Daimyo’s odd interaction with his son and the messenger and the events that transpired outside the confines of the village.

“But the scroll was decoded when I opened it,” she explained, now removing it from its protected container. With a swing of her hand, it unwinds across the table. The familiar-looking, but unrecognizable lettering balked at her once more.

Kakashi leaned forward, hand on his chin. “Hmm. Good work. I’m glad it wasn’t too much to handle.”

He felt Sakura bristle at the small jibe, but she quickly let it go. “So can you decode?” She asked instead.

Closing his eye and reclining in his chair, Kakashi shrugged. “Of course. I was in ANBU, after all. We only communicated in code.”

“You were in ANBU?” Sakura asked.

“So let’s see what we have here…” Kakashi picked up the scroll, holding it close. He almost tried summoning chakra to his Sharingan, but caught himself before the mistake.

They spent the rest of the night looking over the scroll. Sakura tried to offer input, but this was far away from her area of expertise. Kakashi had much more experience with this subject, leaving Sakura to kick back in her chair and watch Kakashi at work.

Hours passed with the two of them across the table from one another. Kakashi covered the scroll with his upper body, elbows perched to hold himself up as he stared at the scroll. Sakura rested her head on the table top. “Do you remember the day Team Kakashi was made? After Naruto and I snagged your dumb bells?” She picked at the wood, flicking a splinter into the air.

“You mean when you lied to me, claiming to know the end of my novel?” Kakashi responded, not taking his eyes off of the scroll.

Eyes squinting, Sakura frowned. “There are no rules in the bell test. Besides, don’t try to change the subject. Do you remember what you said?” She sat up in her chair attempting to command Kakashi’s attention, but the man remained fixed to the scroll, finger grazing the letterings as he put a few more words together. Sakura plowed on. “You said the days of sensei and student are past. That we were now all leaf shinobi, on equal ground.”

Now Kakashi paused his movement, eyes flickering up to Sakura. “What about that?”

She stared into his soul, piercing his exterior. Those emerald eyes might as well have been a new type of dojutsu. Kakashi felt as though she could see everything: his insecurity, his shame, his shunted protection. It took all of his strength not to waver.

“That’s still true, right?”

Meticulously, Kakashi assayed Sakura, looking her up and down in that chair. She leaned over the table, both arms holding all of her weight lacking any pusillanimousness she once possessed as a genin. She’d done amazing tonight, gathering good intel and finding quite a promising lead. With complete certainty, Kakashi answered, “Now more than ever.”

Those eyes widened, exposing Kakashi to more of her beauty, and before he got lost he retreated to his scroll, clearing his throat to regain his concentration.

Sakura believed Kakashi meant what he said, but she felt something change from before. Heading Pakkun’s advice, she tried to pry into the man across the table, peeling back his layers of solitude. But every inquiry ended with a short answer, disallowing any follow up. She tried to remind herself what Pakkun said, that Kakashi is defensive out of protection, not disregard for other's feelings.

But it couldn’t help but feel personal. She thought she had reached something within him, just as he fell asleep in front of her mere hours ago.

Eventually she gave up, falling asleep at the chair with Pakkun in her lap.

Kakashi watched her after she fell into a deep slumber. He could tell she was trying to gauge his actions, his responses. She was digging rather obviously. He was right; he’d gotten too open with her. And while he wanted to get closer, that wasn’t what the mission was about. After the mission, he told himself. After the mission, everything will be fine.

His gaze fell on Pakkun, who sat curled up in her lap, a content smile on the small pug’s face. Pakkun never sought out human contact, but obviously Sakura had done something to earn the little dog’s love. Although so much older now, Sakura regained her youth in her sleep. Her hard lines from the battlefield disappeared, and she looked like the innocent girl Kakashi taught all of those years ago. But underneath, she was powerful, resolute, and strong. She was truly an amazing woman.

Pakkun looked so peaceful, head resting on Sakura’s arm, face squished up against her pale skin. What Kakashi wouldn’t give for that to be him, to be able to freely touch Sakura…

Wait, was he really jealous of a _dog?_

Anger made Kakashi stare back down at the scroll. He’d only gotten a few letters unscrambled. He had a lot of work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I worked a while on this chapter because I wanted to do Sakura's POV justice. hope it was okay!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long night of decoding, Sakura and Kakashi get some breakfast... but are soon interrupted.

Sunlight pierced through the shutters of the kitchen windows, hitting Sakura at the perfect angle to ignite her hair. Pink light reflected throughout the room, casting a bright color on the paper in front of Kakashi.

Kakashi had not gotten a wink of sleep, deciding to stay at the table and work on the scroll. He felt close to figuring out the patterns, but it would still require some time. But it didn’t seem he would be getting much longer: the light hit Sakura in the eye, and completely aware of every one of Sakura’s movements, Kakashi braced himself for her morning malaise as she twitched awake.

“Wha-what?” She looked around, realizing she never returned to the bedroom. The blanket covering her small body came into focus, and she peered up at Kakashi with a perplexed smile but the man refused to look up from his work.

“Good morning,” he greeted her.

“Good morning,” she responded in kind. “Where’s Pakkun?”

A half-shrug. “He said he had some stuff to take care of. Most likely he found my stash of treats at my apartment and wanted to get back to a lazy life at the leaf village without me.”

He could feel Sakura examining him once again with her medical eyes, but he refused to look up.

Finally, she said. “How about we call it a night and get some breakfast? You’ve been working nonstop. Every good ninja needs to replenish their energy.”

As though he put some thought into the suggestion, Kakashi waited a moment before responded. “I suppose,” he said, although his stomach demanded food. He was _starving_. But he didn’t want to show it.

After rising from the table, Sakura pulled out the scroll from Kakashi’s grasp. “Let’s get going then, old man.” Tucking the scroll into her pocket she departed to change in the other room.

_Old man?_

The expected aggravation Kakashi felt when someone called him old man rose to the surface of his consciousness, but something else troubled him about the way Sakura had said it. But she’d said it like she always did, not any different than when Naruto annoyed him, or when Kurenai coddled him…

So why did it bother him even more so than usual?

* * *

At a lonely booth, Kakashi and Sakura munched on their breakfast in silence. Without his forehead protector, Kakashi felt exposed and kept his eyes down, solemnly pushing around his mush of a meal. Sakura on the other hand barely blinked as she stared at him straight on as if she was under the impression she could will him to speak with her. But there was no new information to discuss that was pertinent to the mission, and therefore Kakashi resolved there was nothing to talk about.

They almost reached a full half an hour of silence when a couple approached their table.

“Hello there! We need one more pair for our game! Would you be so kind as to join us?” One of the women giggled, lightly touching the shoulder of her wife.

“A game?” Kakashi’s voice came out crackly from the lack of use. He cleared his throat, then asked, “What type of game?”

The wife clapped her hands together in excitement. “Oh wait, I recognize you two! The man with ravishing gray hair, and the beau with locks the color of flowers. You’re Hate Kakashi and Haru Sakura, the couple Futoshi will _not_ stop talking about! You _must_ join us now!” Without waiting for a reply, the two women took a hold of both Kakashi and Sakura and dragged them away from their food to a private room of the dining area.

“We really need to stop frequenting establishments that cultivate heathens approaching us,” Kakashi muttered under his breath, running his fingers through his hair subconsciously.

“Oh stop it, they’re just being friendly,” Sakura chastised him, matching his volume. But then her tone took a dark turn when she continued, “Although I suppose you’re unfamiliar with the term.”

“What?” Kakashi reached out to Sakura, but the wife and husband ripped them apart, thrusting them into seats on opposite sides of the table. It seemed that three other couple arranged themselves in the same way. Stacks of paper lay in front of each person, but no one was paying attention to that as they were all looking at… 

“Futoshi?” Sakura exclaimed, beating Kakashi to the outburst.

The young man turned in place at the head of the table. His face immediately brightened when he recognized Sakura.

“Ah, young Haru! And mister Hata! This is wonderful, truly, quite wonderful!”

“What is happening,” Kakashi leaned forward, voice deep. Before Futoshi could open his mouth, Sakura slapped Kakashi’s hand from the table.

“Isn’t it obvious?” She asked him, rolling her eyes. “This is the newlywed game.”

Kakashi almost choked. “The what now?”

“The newlywed game!” Futoshi repeated, writing out the words beautifully on the whiteboard behind him. “Here we test couple’s knowledge of one another, to make sure they are truly deserving of each other! It is _just_ a blast!” He started setting up a point system on the board.

Leaning back in his chair, Kakashi crossed his arms. “I’m afraid Sakura and I do not qualify, then, since we are simply engaged, not married.”

The husband to his right waved his hand in the air. “Oh, that is quite alright. The prerequisite for the game is just nominal.” The man tapped Kakashi on the arm.

“Wonderful,” Kakashi deadpanned.

“Well, shall we get started?” Futoshi asked. From a deep coat pocket, Futoshi pulled out a small stack of notecards. “We’ll go back in forth for who is trying to get the correct answer; the left side of the table… my left, of course, and then the right.” Sakura sat up in her chair, ready to answer. Kakashi just lazily gripped his pen. “First question! Starting simple: what was their first pet?”

_My first pet?_... Kakashi mused. Unfortunately, Sakura would be getting this one wrong. While she did know Pakkun was the first ninken entrusted under Kakashi’s care, Kakashi did not consider his dogs to be his pets. They were his family, and anything less would be downright disrespectful to the dogs. With a sigh, Kakashi scribbled down his answer: _never owned a pet._

“Alright, time is up!” Futoshi announced, hands folded behind his back. “Let’s see what the couples said… first up, the guessers. Asahi?”

The man furthest from Kakashi on the opposite side of the table bashfully flipped his piece of paper. “Yuiko grew up with a calico cat.”

Nodding, Futoshi looked to Yuiko. “And?...” Smiling, Yuiko spun her paper around. Futoshi clapped once. “Nice going, Endos! That’s one point for you guys.” He turns around to add a tally mark under the name _Endo_ , and continues down the table. Everyone of course got the question correct, and Kakashi finally became uneasy as Futoshi reached him and Sakura. If they do not get this one right, will it be obvious they aren’t a true couple? Did Kakashi just blow their entire cover?

“So, Sakura: what was Kakashi’s first pet?” Futoshi asked the pinkette.

Resting her elbow on the table, Sakura smiled at Futoshi. “Well, this one was quite easy, Futoshi,” She said. _Oh Kami, why was she drawing this out?_ Kakashi thought. _That will just make it worse when we don’t get a point._

“Oh?” Futoshi smiled back at Sakura, a bit too affectionate. “Why is that?”

“Because Kakashi never owned an animal, and still doesn’t to this day.” Sakura flipped her paper with one hand, and sure enough, she had written _none_.

“Kakashi?” Futoshi snapped Kakashi out of his transfixion of Sakura and her answer. “Is your fiancé correct?”

“Oh, uh, yes.” Kakashi turned his paper over, revealing his answer: _never had one_.

Futoshi grinned. “Perfect. You all get a point for this round!” He added a tally under _Hata_ , despite their unhinged status. “That was just a warm-up round, so I’m glad you all got that right. Moving on from physical facts, we’ll take a dive into the dynamics of the relationship! Let’s go!” Futoshi flipped the next card. “Remember, the other side is guessing what their partner thinks of this question. Now, what is your partner's favorite romantic gesture _?_ ” Futoshi added a little flourish with a wink and shoulder raise, letting the couples crouch over their cards to answer.

_Ugh,_ Kakashi almost recoiled at the question. He wasn’t one to be fond of romantic gestures, but his was Sakura they were answering for. That woman fell head over heels for romance: hell, she grew her hair out for Sasuke simply due to a _rumor_. But Kakashi also did not want to reveal too much about one another, so he wrote down a plain, general answer. 

Futoshi went around the table, and Kakashi had to keep his eyes forward to force himself from rolling them. The Endo husband claimed he enjoyed love notes, which Yuiko correctly claimed as well. The wife that had grabbed Kakashi advocated for a romantic, candle-lit dinner and matched her wife’s answer. The third couple also paired, with the wife enjoying a nice serenade.

When it came to Kakashi’s turn, he shrugged and showed his card. “Chocolate.” Sakura’s eye twitched, so slight only a non-shinobi would miss it. Without prompt, she turned over her own card, which read _deep, vulnerable conversation._

“Already getting one wrong?” Futoshi shook his head. I’m sure you’ll be able to bounce back,” he assured Sakura and Kakashi. When he turned, Sakura threw the most confused, crushed look at Kakashi. It was common knowledge among Konoha that the elite medic nin hated chocolate. After many suitors tried to vie for her attention with assortments of treats and chocolate in vain, they finally learned to change tactics. Still, nothing worked to sway Sakura. And perhaps Kakashi used to be the one she complained to about such endeavors of the hopeless men. But Kakashi shrugged and looked away. Yes, maybe he knew that about her. So what? He could have forgotten, right? But he hadn’t. He couldn’t.

“Let’s move on,” Futoshi said. “If your partner could have a super power, what would it be? Now, let’s try to be chaste about our answers!” Futoshi shook his finger.

The other couples laughed at Futoshi’s suggestion, but Kakashi just sat there, wondering. He was a ninja, so as for mundane standards, he already possessed a lot of power. What more could he want?

_Oh, of course!_ Kakashi knew what his answer would be, but it was so out of place, he wrote down something more expected of a civilian. He laughed to himself. If only he could have what he truly desired. 

As answers came in, nothing surprised Kakashi. He’d already analyzed each couple, and based on their slouches, their nervous ticks and side conversations, he anticipated their responses. Calico-wife wanted to the ability to grow taller. One of the wives wanted to read minds, and the husband wanted super-strength. How cliché. Although Kakashi was not any better in appearance when he answered, “wall climbing.”

What happened next _did_ surprise Kakashi.

When Sakura tilted her head to the side at Kakashi’s odd answer (considering they both knew he _could_ walk on walls) and held up her card, Kakashi’s mouth fell open under his mask.

_Forgetting book plots._

“What a specific answer!” Futoshi commented, hands on his hips. “Care to explain, Sakura?”

Still gazing at Kakashi, Sakura answered as if her mind were elsewhere. “Kakashi loves reading. He even reads at a slower pace sometimes to savor the moment. I just thought he would like to reread books completely, experiencing that moment once again.”

Futoshi jumped in place. “That is just adorable! I can’t believe she knows you so well, Kakashi.”

Kakashi could not either, as it was _exactly_ what he thought of before he wrote down is lame answer. Everyone knew about his obsession with Itcha Itcha, but to actually come up with that response took careful consideration and a deep evaluation of his wants. It was, simply put, very thoughtful. 

The same event occurred over and over, with Sakura answering spot-on to Kakashi’s questions (What type of nature do they enjoy the most? _The forest, up in the trees_. When was the last time your partner bought new clothes? _Months ago_. Signature dance move? _Butt thrust against Guy_ ) while he switched out what he knew was the truth for something obviously false. Best friends? Ino became Sara. Favorite activity? Studying became baking. Time after time, Sakura grew more agitated as Futoshi admonished their lack of synchronization and their score grew more dismal in comparison to the other couples.

After a round where Kakashi claimed Sakura hated her nose, Sakura rose from the table. Fists and jaw clenched, she asked Futoshi, “Would you mind if I excused myself and Kakashi for a moment?”

The fear at the table was palpable. Clutching his cards close to his chest, Futoshi nodded. Sakura circled the table and took a hold of Kakashi with a considerable amount of chakra to prevent any resistance. To dampen suspicion of foul play, Kakashi summoned some of his own so he did not go flying through the wall as she tosses him through the door outside.

“What’s wrong?” Kakashi asked as Sakura crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

Throwing her arms in the air, Sakura let out a small yell. “Why do you keep lying? It’s obvious you are just making up answers to all of those questions!”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Kakashi found a potted plant to his right to be very interesting at that moment. “They might find out too much about us if I’m actually honest.”

Sakura hit him in shoulder, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain from Kakashi and finally capturing his attention. “Put things in perspective! That doesn’t matter right now. The best lies have some form of truthfulness to make them feel authentic.” She stops. “ _Do_ you know the answers to those questions?” She looked so heartbroken, just like when he had answered chocolate.

Without thinking, Kakashi responded. “Of course, I know the answers.” _Shit._ He didn’t mean to admit that. Why did he not want to? What was wrong with assuring her that he knew her as well as she knew him (which was bewilderingly very, _very_ well)?

Shaking her head, Sakura wilted and kept bowling him with questions. “Then what are you so afraid of? Exposing yourself a bit? Do you not care about this mission? Do you not care about anything?”

Her accusation, now the second of this journey, left Kakashi empty. “Of course, I care!” He exclaimed, much more loudly than he meant to.

Fiddling with her hair, Sakura pulled her pink strands tight. “That is the most emotion I’ve ever seen you display in the past twelve hours.” She shook her head again, covering her beautifully sad face with one hand. “I thought we were past this, after our conversation from before. I thought you were going to be more open, let your guard down just a little bit.” Letting her hand fall to her side, she now wouldn’t stop looking at the plant that had Kakashi had found so intriguing before. “But you still act so aloof all the time! How am I supposed to tell how you’re feeling when you never show it?” 

Now Kakashi realized his mistake.

_Of course. I’m such an idiot._

For a second too long, Kakashi remained silent until he shook himself out of his self-wallowing and reached out to Sakura. The touch was light, timid, but it still caused her to jerk her head up and stare at him with that heartbreakingly confused look again. “I’m so sorry… I just look to when this is all resolved, when everything is fine and we can be real friends again, I didn’t think about how you’re hurting in the present… no wonder you think I don’t care." 

“Real friends… _again_?” Sakura asked, eyes wide.

Retreating from Sakura, Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck again. “Yeah, I was hoping when we got back to Konoha to… you know, hang out more. I don’t know why I stopped visiting, but I wanted to make it up to you. I just thought here, it wasn’t the right place… I don’t know…” he found himself rambling, an act he never found himself committing.

But something he said had been the right thing. This time, Sakura reached out to the gray-haired ninja and grounded him.

“Why does everything have to be two steps forward, one step backward with you?” She smiled, so soft, as if he were an animal that could be spooked with any quick movements. “How about instead of waiting until we’re back home to be real friends, we just _be_ real friends now? Would that be okay?”

Sakura’s eyes twitched down as they noticed Kakashi’s gray mask stretch from his big smile. “That sounds amazing.”

When they returned to the game, Kakashi’s arm slung around Sakura’s shoulders, Futoshi grinned wide and winked at the pair.

“Lover’s quarrel?” He asked.

“Far from it,” both Sakura and Kakashi answered, sharing a knowing glance.

As they returned to their seats, Sakura smiled wide and happy, the happiest she’d been the whole trip. Kakashi smiled back, admiring her.

_Friends._

_Why did that make his stomach summersault?_

* * *

After the conclusion of the game, Sakura and Kakashi laughed at their almost-come back as they walk back to their room. 

“Honestly, it was pretty embarrassing how easy it was to earn back those lost points,” Sakura admonished.

“Yeah, embarrassing,” Kakashi repeated, smiling down at Sakura in adoration.

Unaware of his gaze Sakura gestured widely. “I mean, we aren’t actually a—” Sakura caught herself before exposing their cover, and resumed walking normally. “But we still did a whole lot better than those other couples, even if we didn’t end up winning.”

“Yeah,” Kakashi said again, dumbly. He was still living the high of making Sakura laugh and smile when his answers matched her own—sometimes to her own shame. Her catchphrase? Shannarō. A sure-fire way to get on her nerves? Spreading science factoids. There were less embarrassing ones, like her favorite season (fall), and what instrument she wished she could play (drums, to lay off some stress). 

“Whatever, that was a good mind break for our primary task.” Finding themselves at their door, Sakura searched for the key and let themselves back into the large suite. “Now we can lock ourselves in and really try and crack this scroll.”

“Actually, about that…” Kakashi messed with his mask. “As we were leaving, Futoshi asked if we could attend a picnic this evening. And I couldn’t find a way to say no.” 

“Seriously?” Sakura fell into a chair at the kitchen table, tossing the scroll next to her. “Man, I’m not sure how much socializing I can handle in one day.”

“You’re telling me,” Kakashi agreed, taking residence in the chair to her right. “But he was very adamant, and I thought it unwise to refuse the Daimyo’s son.”

“Whatever, we’ll get through it. Now let’s get working!” Sakura tapped the table rhythmically as Kakashi opened the scroll.

“We?” Kakashi arched an eyebrow at her. “It felt like I was the only one doing the work last night.”

With a huff, Sakura rolled her eyes. “Hush. I can be of help.”

It seemed that Sakura’s idea of helping was rummaging around the kitchen supplying words of unneeded advice (did you try a foursquare cypher?) or preparing small snacks to “keep his brain energy up”.

“I’ve already figured out the code, Sakura, it just takes time to translate the rest of the scroll. The flow of the message is not intuitive, making it a bit difficult.”

“Oh wow! Amazing! One step closer to returning home!” Sakura exclaimed, sliding Kakashi a pile of crackers.

_Home._ It would be nice to go back home and finish that book he left on the nightstand, Kakashi thought. But he was enjoying this time alone—this time with Sakura.

“Tell me about yourself, Sakura. It will help me concentrate,” Kakashi said out of the blue. In honesty, he wanted to find out just how much she’d changed since she was a chuunin. Her belief system, her thoughts, her ideas for the future.

“Hmm,” Sakura crunched on a cracker. “I mean, you already know more than the average person. You taught me the basics of being a ninja, you watched me grow up, you made me aware of the dangers of the outside world.” As Kakashi reached for a piece of cracker of his own, Sakura looked away as an offering of privacy.

“Okay, how about I ask some questions?”

Sakura nodded. 

“What do you _really_ think of Lady Tsunade? She can be quite a hard-ass.”

“Kakashi! That’s your hokage!” Sakura blurted, pushing his arm to the side. “Oh, shoot, sorry, I messed up your decoding.”

“It’s quite alright, I can start over. But truly, you must have some stories to spill. I’d like some blackmail.”

Sakura snorted. “There is no way I’m telling you _those_ stories!”

With a grin, Kakashi looked up. “So, there are some!”

“Shit, I didn’t…” flustered, Sakura got up from the table, taking the snacks with her. “No more food for you! It’s making you too inquisitive.”

“Fine, fine. How about your view on Konoha?” Kakashi turned serious.

From the sink, Sakura asked, “What do you mean?”

Connecting a new word to the message, Kakashi said, “Our village does not always send us on missions that are as relaxed as this. We have a dark past; you’re just as well acquainted with the Uchiha disaster as I am. What is your stance on that?”

The sink continued running, but the rummaging of dish-ware ceased. Solemn, Sakura returned to the chair. “I used to believe in angels, something good in everything I see. Pushing through the darkness. I used to be innocent, but then I grew skeptical after I learned more. How could the world be pure, if it allowed such hatred and death everywhere? I admit my faith fell. But then, after watching Naruto over the years, I my belief returned. There is the good in the world, it just takes effort to realize it. Naruto saved our village by connecting with the goodness in people’s hearts. Everyone can be good if they try. So, I’m willing to help others the same way, and to help Naruto reach his goal of spreading good in this world and eventually become Hokage.”

“Spoken like a true soldier of Konoha.”

Sakura shook her head. “Maybe that’s true, and maybe I have been indoctrinated. But it's not like Konoha tries to convince us we are heroes; we are soldiers. Besides, I think I’ve seen enough of the world to have solidified my own beliefs by now.” She gave Kakashi a curious glance. “Do you not think you’ve outgrown Sarutobi sensei's teachings? You certainly provide a very different view of the world and how our village is run.”

“You have any other beliefs?” As usual, Kakashi ignored the question.

Will a roll of her eyes, Sakura responded, “Nothing can capture the heart quite like a melody can.” She gave Kakashi a knowing smirk, well aware of her old sensei’s deflective tactics.

Rising from the table once more, she walked away humming to return to the dishes. With a shake and smile, Kakashi returned to the scroll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi can dish it out, but can he take it?


End file.
